The Wests
by PrincessBellePrinceAdam
Summary: Future!Fic. A series of stories about Wally and Artemis's family. Wally/Artemis, Conner/Megan, Dick/Zatanna, Kaldur/Raquel, Roy/Jade *NOW OFFICIALLY AU/NON-CANON COMPLIANT*
1. Chapter 1

_._

_A/N: Lame title is lame. A series of stories about Wally and Artemis's family. I imagine they'd have a big family. I'm not really sure why. They will be in chronological order. Just like in my fic "A Seemingly Useless Collection of Junk," Artemis is a reporter for a news station in Central City. Wally is a __forensic scientist __like he was in Justice League Unlimited. One more way to follow in Barry's footsteps, right?_

_Any characters you recognize are the property of DC Comics and Cartoon Network. The West children belong to me._

_Ships: Wally/Artemis, Conner/Megan, Dick/Zatanna, Roy/Jade_

**The Wests**

It's a normal day in the West household. Artemis wakes up to Wally bringing her a cup of coffee and a fresh New York bagel that he has made a special trip for. This is not an unusual occurrence; one of Wally's favorite things to do is bring her breakfast items from all over the world. But Artemis appreciates it all the same.

Artemis dresses in her workout clothes. She laces up her running shoes and does a few simple stretches in the apartment's living room. Her warm up routine earns her a wolf whistle from Wally. She rolls her stormy gray eyes but kisses him good-bye anyway.

Music pumps out of her apple green iPod as she jogs down the street. She nods at the people who call out a friendly "Good morning," as she passes. Artemis tries to keep her head clear of any thoughts not related to her jogging route. This is a difficult thing to do, given what is waiting for her at home.

Finally, the archer decides to call it quits for the day. She walks the last two blocks slowly, trying to ensure that Wally will have already left for the police department by the time she gets home. She hasn't kept a secret from her husband since finally telling him about her father and sister. It makes her feel something like guilt. Artemis doesn't like guilt.

Besides, it's not like she's _not_ going to tell him. It's just that she wants a bit of privacy while she does what she's about to do. There's nothing wrong with wanting privacy.

Artemis is pleased to find that Wally has indeed already left for work. She makes her way down the hallway to the bedroom she shares with Wally. She heads right to the closet at the opposite end of the room and reaches for the shoebox on the shelf. She reaches inside the small box and takes out the pregnancy test.

She steps into the bathroom and closes the door behind her. She reads through the instructions carefully twice, wanting to be certain she's doing this the proper way. When the test is complete, she sets the timer on her phone for five minutes and sinks to the edge of the tub to wait.

The reporter has done this before. God knows she and Wally haven't always been as careful as they should be. Thankfully, the few times she's had to do this have always turned out to be false alarms. Artemis firmly believes they were lucky to have had the tests come out negative. Now, she doesn't know what she wants.

On one hand, they're married now. It's not like they're still in high school. They both have jobs, and they have a comfortable apartment to call home. Central City is a relatively safe place to live, thanks to Wally's duties as the Flash. It's not like the baby would grow up in a rough Gotham neighborhood. Not like she had.

And Wally, she knows, would be overjoyed at the idea of being a father. He loves kids; he wants a house full of the sounds of little speedster feet. She has no doubts that Wally will be a good dad. He will be the kind of dad who supports and encourages his children; the kind of dad who teaches and loves. He will not be like the type of father she had.

What she's afraid of is _her._ She's never known how to relate to kids; she doesn't know how to talk to them or entertain them or anything. If there _is _a baby, Artemis is sure she'll end up screwing the kid up one way or another.

It's not that she doesn't want a baby one day. With Wally, kids are kind of a given. But they've only been married for six months. Artemis thought she'd have more time to convince herself that she's capable of being a mother before it actually happened.

The timer app on her phone dings. Her time is up. She stands and picks up the pregnancy test from the sink. The symbol at one end of the stick is a tiny pink plus sign.

It's positive.

She's going to have a _baby._

"Artemis?"

The blonde woman's head snaps up at the sound of her husband's voice. She's not ready to tell him about this yet. She hasn't had much of a chance to grasp it herself.

Wally pushes the bathroom door open. "Honey?"

"What are you doing here?" Artemis blurts out. "I thought you left for work already." She tries to casually move the hand holding the pregnancy test out of his line of vision. Of course, Wally sees what she's doing. He frowns.

"I forgot my phone." The redhead holds up the device as proof. He peers around Artemis to get a glimpse of the object in her hand.

Wally recognizes it right away. "Is that what I think it is?" he asks finally.

The archer nods. "Yes, it is."

"Well, what does it say?" the Flash demands. He closes the short distance between them in a fraction of a second. Wally then gently pulls the stick from her grasp.

She expects Wally to laugh happily; she expects a hug and a kiss and excitement. Instead, Wally looks kind of pale. "It's positive," he says as if she doesn't know.

"It is," Artemis agrees.

"These things aren't always right, you know," he says suddenly. "You should see your doctor to make sure." Artemis has always been sensitive to tone. To her, it sounds like Wally _wants_ the test to be wrong.

'_He doesn't want a baby,'_ she thinks. The idea doesn't sit well with the reporter. "That's the same brand I've always used," Artemis points out. "It's always been accurate before."

Wally looks at her, and she recognizes the emotion in his vibrant green eyes. He is in panic mode at the thought of having a child. "Wally, do you want to talk?"

The suggestion surprises her, but the words tumble out of her mouth so quickly that there is no way to stop them. She's not usually the one who wants to have a heart to heart in their relationship.

Wally nods. "Let me just call in to work and tell them I'll be late." He looks down at his phone. He presses a button and holds the device to his ear. While she waits for Wally to finish talking, Artemis gently pulls the white stick from his other hand and steps into the bedroom. She sits down on her side of the bed.

Artemis is joined by her husband a moment later. He looks slightly calmer now. The blonde woman finds this to be a good sign. Wally lets out a low whistle as he shifts to get a better look at his wife. "So…a baby, huh?" he asks. "That's big."

'_Of all the things to say,'_ the archer groans mentally. "It is big," she replies. "Are you okay with this?" She frowns when she realizes it sounds like she's asking permission to have a baby. She wishes she could take her statement back.

"Of course," he says at once. Wally snakes his arms around her waist and pulls her closer to him. He tucks her head under his chin. Artemis muses idly that she feels safe here. Then she wonders why she's thinking like some character from a _Lifetime_ movie.

"It's just-" she starts, pulling away so she can look at Wally. He stares back at her, waiting for her to finish. Artemis takes a deep breath, hoping it will give her time to gather her thoughts. "You didn't sound happy earlier."

He chuckles. Artemis scowls, and he stops immediately. "Artemis, I _love_ you," Wally tells her earnestly. "I'm beyond happy. I'm…over the moon."

Wally's fondness for old fashioned things has always been amusing. Artemis feels a smile tug at the corners of her lips. Apparently reassured by this, Wally presses on. "But just because I'm happy doesn't mean that I'm not scared."

Artemis doesn't believe it. "You're scared? But I thought you definitely wanted kids." She makes no effort to hide the fact that she's puzzled by Wally's reaction to the news.

"I'm scared out of my mind," he tells her cheerfully. "I do want kids. I just didn't think we'd have them so soon." But Wally smiles at her and pulls her in close again. Artemis feels his lips press a kiss to the top of her head. Experimentally, he places his hand over her flat tummy. "Hello in there, little West," he says in a tone far too sappy for Artemis to handle.

She hopes he's not going to be like this for the rest of her pregnancy.


	2. Chapter 2

_._

**The Wests**

Wally wants to know the baby's sex. He's at a doctor appointment with Artemis that he has taken the afternoon off of work to attend. Artemis is already in the chair with her shirt pulled up in preparation for the gel the technician will apply. He's been present at all of the ultrasounds so far, but it still amazes him that in a few minutes, they will be seeing their baby on the screen.

Their baby…that he still does not know the sex of. He's been trying to talk Artemis into finding out for weeks. She says she wants a surprise but Wally's never been good at being patient. He's been peeking at his birthday and Christmas gifts all his life, and he's always preferred to talk to someone directly than wait for a reply to a text message or email. In short, he wants to know and he wants to know _now_.

Artemis is only four and a half months pregnant. The hero knows he won't be able to wait another four and a half months to find out if he has a daughter or a son. It's impossible.

The Flash looks at his wife. He's using the puppy dog expression that he saves for occasions when he really wants to get his way. It has never worked on Artemis, but there's always a first time for everything. The redheaded man crosses his fingers.

His wife glares at him. "No, Wally."

He sputters a bit. "You don't even know what I was going to say," he tells her when he's able to form words. "I could have been planning to comment on the weather for all you know."

"But I know you," Artemis points out. "And you weren't going to say anything about the weather. You're still trying to pressure me into seeing whether the baby's a boy or a girl."

Wally pouts. Artemis smirks. "I really want to know," he says in a small voice. "Don't you?"

She shakes her head. Then she leans over and kisses his cheek. "We'll find out soon enough," she says. "It'll go by so fast. Promise."

He's not convinced, but he doesn't get a chance to argue because the technician walks in. She greets them warmly and smiles as she takes her seat. She asks a few questions as she applies the gel to Artemis's stomach.

Artemis does most of the talking. Wally's still trying to figure out how to get Artemis to agree to find out the baby's sex. Suddenly, Artemis grasps his hand. The slightly grainy images of their baby are coming up on the screen.

"Everything looks normal," the technician informs them. She moves the wand across the blonde woman's belly to get a different angle of the baby. "The heartbeat is nice and strong. The organs are developing normally."

Artemis is beaming at him. That's rare for her, and despite himself, Wally feels a little better. He can't wait to see that little baby in person.

The technician has been looking at Artemis's file. "You're about eighteen weeks along. I should be able to tell the sex of the baby. Would you like to know?"

The blonde archer shakes her head. "I want it to be a surprise. My husband, on the other hand…"

"I want to know," Wally says immediately. "You can write it down and give it to me."

Artemis looks at him skeptically as the ultrasound technician busies herself with the equipment once more. "Do you really think you can keep a secret for that long, Wally? You have a really big mouth sometimes. And I definitely don't want to know. I would prefer you didn't find out if you don't think you can keep quiet about it."

He gives her his best insulted expression. "I am shocked and appalled at your lack of faith in me," he informs his wife in an overdramatic tone. "Of course I can keep a secret for a few weeks." Wally looks at the technician. "I want to know," he repeats. "I won't even look at it here."

The older woman nods. She turns back to the monitor and peers at it for a moment. Then she picks up a pen and writes something on a bright yellow sticky note. Wally takes it from her, folds it in half, and jams the note in his pocket. Artemis shakes her head and rolls her eyes.

Wally ignores his wife's actions. Nothing can ruin his mood right now. As soon as he can get a moment alone, he will know whether he will need to get a baseball mitt or invest in a gun.

Artemis is cleaning herself up. "Well, go outside in the hallway and read it, then," the reporter instructs her husband. "I'll be a few more minutes. But make sure you have that paper put away before I get out there. I don't want to know until the baby is born."

It takes all of Wally's self control not to use his powers to run halfway across the country to see what's written on the paper. He manages to step out of the room like a normal person, and once the door is closed, he takes out the note and unfolds it.

The redhead reads the word once, and then a second and third time. He's so happy that he wants to shout. He restrains himself from doing so.

He's just folding the paper up again when Artemis comes out. "So did you read it?" she asks as he slings his arm around her shoulders. They start walking down the hospital corridor together.

"I did," the speedster replies. "But I'm going to behave myself. I'm not going to hint one way or the other, or leave the paper lying around or anything." The Flash can't help but sound proud of himself.

"I knew those obedience lessons would pay off," Artemis quips. The redhead glares at her but he knows she's only kidding. "Are you happier now that you know?" the archer wants to know. "Is it worth it?"

"I think so."

She looks like she might be reconsidering. "Let me see," she says finally.

"After all that grief you gave me about wanting to be surprised? I don't think so." His wife's face creases into a frown. As usual, Wally's brain whizzes ahead at top sped and formulates a hasty plan. "You know how you've been nagging me to help put the baby's room together?"

The archer's frown deepens. "I wouldn't use the word 'nagging' but yes, I know what you're talking about," she answers.

"How about I put it together myself and when it's done, I'll let you see. You won't have to lift a finger and you won't have to wait til the baby is born to find out if it's a girl or a boy."

Artemis considers Wally's offer. "I won't have to lift a finger?" she repeats, clarifying. Wally nods, pleased with himself for coming up with such a smart idea. "Then you have a deal."

And with the arrangement made, the Wests step out into the bright sunshine together, thinking their lives couldn't be better.


	3. Chapter 3

.

_A/N: So this chapter kind of got away from me. I wasn't planning on going into detail about Artemis's outing with Megan and Zatanna, but then it happened. It was a good way to get Artemis out of the house for awhile. And also, I originally planned for the baby to be born in the next chapter, but it seemed kind of mean to leave it on a cliffhanger._

_Artemis's future pregnancies probably won't be as drawn out, but since is the first one I thought it deserved the most detail._

_On to some other small things: As far as I know, I made up the name of the baseball teams. It is also my head canon that Megan becomes a wedding planner in her civilian life. I think that's about it._

**The Wests**

Artemis is seven months pregnant. She feels huge, something akin to a whale, or perhaps a mountain. She knows everyone else sees her as "glowing", but personally, she doesn't buy it. She hasn't seen her feet in over a month, and she definitely doesn't feel attractive at all.

Wally keeps telling her it will be worth it in the end. Artemis knows deep down that her husband is right. When the baby is born, Artemis knows she will lose any feelings of resentment she has now. She'll see the baby's face and she won't care that she waddles instead of walks and that she's gained over thirty-five pounds.

At the moment, though, Artemis can't help but feel that it's easy for Wally to say it'll be worth it in the end. _He_ isn't the one who's gotten fat.

It's a sunny Saturday in April. As usual, Wally has made her a giant breakfast. Artemis thinks she can't possibly finish it all, but she does. Having a speedster baby is like eating for four instead of just for two. She pushes the empty plate away from her, feeling a little sick at the thought of all the food she has just consumed.

"What are you doing today?" Wally asks casually when he's finished polishing off his own pile of food.

Artemis suppresses a groan. "Megan and Zatanna are taking me to that baby fair today, remember? Apparently, I am in need in both a ton of useless baby junk _and_ a girls' day out." She crosses her arms, sulking. She notices Wally hide a smile.

That bugs her a little bit. This is not something her husband should find funny. "What are _you_ doing today?" she demands. She dares him to say that he's going to lounge around the apartment all day and watch the Central City Cobras play baseball against the Star City Sharks. Even Wally has more sense than that.

The hero sits up straighter. "_I_ am going to finish the nursery," he announces proudly. "I'm officially off duty unless it's a real emergency. We're talking aliens have invaded and we're the last line of defense kind of emergency. Other than that, I will be here, getting the baby's room ready."

Artemis is slightly shocked at her husband's response. She hasn't forgotten Wally's promise to prepare the baby's room singlehandedly, but in all honesty, she has just come to expect that it probably won't be done before the baby is born. She isn't mad at Wally for neglecting his project. He's been very busy over the last few months. It can be a struggle to balance a civilian job, keeping a whole city safe, and missions with the Justice League. She thinks she's been pretty understanding about the whole thing, actually.

Wally is waiting for a response. He looks really pleased with himself and probably expects her to be as well. And she is. Artemis stretches her face into a smile. "Good," she says. "I can't wait to see it." She manages to hoist herself up from the kitchen chair and waddles over to where the redhead sits. Wally's arms slide around her waist and pull her as close as possible. The baby begins kicking happily. Artemis watches Wally stare at the baby bump. He is mesmerized and so, so happy. And she realizes how happy _she_ is that she is able to give him a family.

"You'd better get going," he says finally. "The girls will be here soon."

"Ugh, don't remind me," she answers, but she's grinning as she says it. Artemis pulls herself away from Wally's embrace and shuffles down the hallway to their room. She dresses in her stretchiest maternity jeans and a loose green T-shirt. She's just finishing tying her hair in a ponytail when she hears the door open.

Wally greets Megan and Zatanna and calls down the hall to her. As soon as she waddles into Megan's line of vision, the Martian's face lights up. She swoops down on Artemis and hugs her. The baby kicks again and Megan coos. "Hey, Zatanna," Artemis says over M'gann's baby talk. "How are you?"

The dark haired girl beams and holds out her left hand. "Dick proposed!" she announces. Artemis catches a glimpse of a diamond and sapphire engagement ring adorning Zatanna's hand.

"I'm going to plan the wedding," Megan adds.

"I said you can _help_," Zatanna corrects.

Megan cheerfully chooses not to listen to the black haired magician and turns back to Artemis. "Are you all ready to go? The fair's going to be very crowded and there's a lot to see." She looks over Artemis's shoulder to make eye contact with Wally. "Don't worry about Artemis, Wally. We'll take good care of her."

The speedster zips forward to kiss his wife. Then he places a hand on her stomach as if saying good-bye to the baby as well. "I know you'll take good care of her, Megs," he answers, green eyes twinkling. He's _enjoying_ this, Artemis thinks savagely. As soon as she gets home she's going to give him a piece of her mind. "You ladies have fun!" he calls jovially as Megan herds the other two women out into the hall. Artemis glares daggers at her husband, but he doesn't seem to care.

Zatanna drives to the convention center. Megan twists around in the passenger seat to ask Artemis questions. "You still don't know what you're having?" the Martian asks. Her tone is slightly disapproving. "Then how do you know what clothes to buy?"

"Neutral colors," Artemis says. "Light green or yellow. It's actually better to do it that way, so if we have another baby we can keep some of the same outfits."

Artemis promptly regrets bringing up the idea of having another baby. M'gann's face lights up with pure glee. "Are you planning to have another baby?" the telepath asks. "Right away?"

"No," Artemis says. "I mean, this one wasn't planned at all. We'll just see what happens, I guess."

M'gann nods and then starts talking about how nice it would be if everyone had children within a few years of each other so that the kids could all grow up together. Artemis tunes most of it out.

The fair is bustling. Megan is trying to look at everything all at once. Artemis wishes she had prepared a list of things she might actually need. Everything Megan shoves in her face is cute and all, but very unnecessary.

When Megan has moved out of earshot, Zatanna looks at Artemis apologetically. "Are you okay?" the younger woman asks. "Megan looked like she was making you uncomfortable in the car. She shouldn't have asked you about your plans for more children. That's between you and Wally."

Artemis gives her friend a half smile. "She's just being Megan," the blonde woman points out. "I think she and Conner really want a baby and she's excited about all the good things happening around her, like me and Wally starting a family, and you and Dick getting engaged. Maybe it's a sign."

The magician nods, pondering Artemis's words. Feeling she's distracted Zatanna sufficiently for the moment, Artemis looks at her friend with a sly expression on her features. "So…what about you and Dick?" Artemis asks. "Any plans to fill the nest with little robins?"

Zatanna flushes pink. "We aren't even married yet," she mutters. Artemis merely grins and looks back at the items the closest booth is selling. The table is covered with mini superhero paraphernalia from one end to the other. She picks up a tiny onesie, bright red with the Flash's yellow lightning bolt symbol on it.

"I have to get this," the reporter announces. "Wally will love it."

0o0o0o0

It's late afternoon when Artemis returns home. She doesn't see Wally, but she can hear faint sounds of the baseball game on the radio through the closed door. "Wally!" she calls. "I'm home!"

The scarlet speedster appears before her in an instant. "How was your day?" he questions. He spies the pile of shopping bags near the door. "Find anything good?" He smirks slightly.

Artemis ignores him and sinks down onto the plush couch. She pulls one bag onto her lap. She rummages through it and finds the Flash onesie and tosses it at Wally's face. Then she kicks her feet up onto the coffee table. It has been a very long day for the archer. Her feet are killing her.

"Cute," Wally comments when he's peeled the garment from his face. Then he takes in the way his wife is sprawled across the couch. He crosses the room to her and perches on the coffee table. Without being asked, Wally takes off her shoes and begins to give her a gentle foot massage.

It feels like heaven. "Thanks," she murmurs appreciatively. He smiles at her and she can tell that he's all too happy to do whatever he can to keep her as comfortable as possible.

She thinks she must have dozed off for a moment. Wally has stopped rubbing her feet. He's lifting her into his arms, presumably to carry her to bed. "It's okay, Wally. I'm awake now."

Wally sets her down carefully. "So…I _did_ finish the baby's room," he tells her. "Do you want to see?"

"I do," she answers. She stops in front of the pristine white door halfway down the hall. Artemis twists the doorknob and steps inside the room.

Wally is right. The room is beyond done, it has been transformed. The crib has been put together and it stands in the middle of the room. It is made of oak and looks solid. The matching dresser stands in the far corner. Tucked into the alcove by the window is a small rocking chair the same bright white as the door. The walls have been painted in a delicate shade of…

Blue.

It's a boy.

0o0o0o0

Exactly two months and fourteen hours of labor later, their first born son arrives. Artemis swears at Wally a lot during her labor and nearly breaks his hand at one point, but she knows he doesn't hold it against her. While the doctors take their son away to clean, measure, and weigh him, Wally kisses her forehead. "I'm so proud of you, Artemis," he whispers.

She's exhausted when they place the baby in her arms. He's crying and flailing, but Artemis knows just how to soothe him. When the baby is busy nursing, the blonde reporter looks up at her husband. "We never decided on a name."

Wally looks down at his son thoughtfully. "Wally, Jr.," he says. Artemis gives him a flat look that says he better think again. "Well, I don't know. You don't like anything I come up with."

"The baby's far too young to be saddled with a name like Wallace or Bartholomew," Artemis protests. "But I don't particularly want to honor anyone on my side of the family, either."

The baby has decided he is done eating for the moment. He looks up at his parents with bright blue newborn eyes that seem oddly familiar to the older Wests. "He looks like Dick," Wally remarks finally. Then the hero notices Artemis is glaring at him and quickly backtracks. "I just meant his eye color," he amends. "Not that he looks like Dick in any other way."

Mollified, Artemis looks at the baby again. "Richard West," she says, testing out the name. "I kind of like it."

"We can call him Richie," Wally adds. "Dick might be one of our best friends, but he has terrible taste in nicknames."

With the matter of naming her son all taken care of, Artemis leans back against the pillows of her hospital bed. The last thing she hears before she drifts off is Wally telling Richie that the three of them are going to have so much fun together.

She smiles.


	4. Chapter 4

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_A/N: I had Conner keep Superboy as his code name because I figured that would be less confusing than having two Supermans._

**The Wests**

Wally thinks he adjusts to being a father pretty easily. He's completely hands on. He never complains about changing diapers or giving Richie his bottle in the middle of the night. He's happiest when he gets to hold his wife and son at the same time.

He's pretty sure he couldn't be a prouder dad if he tried. He finds himself making excuses to whip out his wallet and show anyone who will look a dozen photos of his precious son.

"Who's a handsome little guy just like his daddy?" Wally coos to Richie one evening. Richie really is a cute baby, all bias aside. He's got the chubbiest little cheeks Wally's ever seen, a full head of soft downy hair the same shade of gold as Artemis's locks, and eyes that are gradually shifting from newborn blue to Wally's own vibrant emerald. "You got some good genes, kid."

"I agree," Artemis pipes up from the doorway. Wally glances down at his watch and sees that it's half past six. Artemis's newscast has just ended. He meant to settle down on the couch and watch it, but he got sidetracked by the baby as he often does these days. "Give him some space already. Come over here and say hello to me," the archer commands.

The speedster is all too happy to oblige. He's at her side in an instant. Wally pulls her into a tight embrace. Artemis decides this is not enough and yanks him down for a kiss. "Better," she states simply after she breaks the kiss.

Wally watches her cross Richie's room to the crib. The archer makes a silly face at her son. Richie makes a happy gurgling noise in response to his mother's expression.

She's a natural. The Flash knows his wife had had some doubts about her ability to be a mother before Richie had arrived. He doesn't blame her for being skeptical; her parental figures were far from the best. Then when he factors in the detail that her sister Jade had abandoned little Lian to be raised by Roy, Wally can see where his wife would be nervous about being a mom.

But Artemis is an amazing mom. She knows the differences in Richie's cries; how there is a subtle difference in the sounds he makes when he is hungry compared to when he needs a fresh diaper. She knows the exact way he likes to be rocked to sleep. And most importantly, Wally can see the love in her eyes whenever she looks at their son.

She winds up the blue and green teddy bear mobile and then silently leads him from the nursery. The Flash flops down on the couch while Artemis goes to change into something more comfortable. There's a general feeling of contentment between the couple when Artemis rejoins him. They settle in to talk about their days.

Artemis starts dinner and instructs him to keep an eye on it while she feeds Richie. The water for pasta is just coming to a boil when the archer returns. She carries Richie on her hip.

They manage to have an uneventful dinner. The youngest West provides commentary in his baby language. It's pretty entertaining.

After dinner, the new parents strap the baby into his stroller. It's a beautiful summer evening and a leisurely walk through the neighborhood seems to be a perfect activity. It feels normal, stable. Wally knows their lives are chaotic, and he always jumps at any chance to take some time and unwind with Artemis. This has been especially true since the couple had discovered that Artemis was pregnant. The hero knows staying on the sidelines has started to get to his wife.

He stops her on the middle of the sidewalk. "Hey," he says. Wally snakes his arms around his wife's waist. She looks up at him curiously. He flashes a brief smile before pressing a kiss against her lips.

"What was that for?" Artemis questions. He shrugs carelessly and Artemis shakes her head. But then Wally sees a smile cross her face and knows that she doesn't mind. He takes one of her hands and laces their fingers together.

The Wests have their quiet evening interrupted by their League com links. They both have made it a habit to carry their links at all times. An emergency can occur at any time, after all.

"Go for Flash," Wally mutters into his. Artemis glances around, but the suburban street is mostly abandoned. There is no one close enough to overhear.

Conner's voice comes through. "Your Rogues are in Metropolis. Miss Martian and Superman are off world and I'm outnumbered. I need backup. Superboy out."

"Be there in ten," Wally replies. "Flash out." He turns to look at Artemis. "I have to go," Wally says. "They're my Rogues and I have to help put them away."

"You don't have to explain," Artemis replies. "Go. Richie and I will be fine. Call if you need me and be careful." Wally zips forward to kiss her good-bye and then leans into the stroller and kisses the baby's forehead.

"I love you," he tells Artemis. "I'll be back as soon as I can." The hero glances down at his son once more. "Take care of your mom, little man." He breaks into a run and then he is gone.

0o0o0o0

It's hours later when he returns. He's hoping he can sneak in quietly and skip the lecture until morning. Wally is grateful that it's now Saturday and he won't have work in the morning because he is beyond exhausted.

Luck never seems to be on his side, however. When he creeps into the nursery to check on Richie, the familiar figure of his wife is perched in the rocking chair. The baby is swaddled in a light green blanket, fast asleep. Artemis's stormy gray eyes are narrowed.

She places Richie back in his crib and then seizes his wrist. She's none too gentle as she tows Wally from the baby's bedroom. When they reach the living room, she wheels around to face him, her hands on her hips.

"Want to tell me what happened?" she asks. Wally is surprised that her tone is more disappointed than angry. This is, of course, much worse. Anger is something he knows how to combat, but he's never been good at handling any situation in which someone feels let down.

The Flash nods. "Like you know, the Rogues were attacking Metropolis. Mirror Master was in charge of distracting us while the other Rogues targeted the museum. Conner and I got trapped in the mirror dimension and our links wouldn't work there. It took us awhile to get out and then we had to round the Rogues up."

Artemis is quiet for awhile. Then she says, "You don't know how many times I thought about taking the zeta to Metropolis to see if you were all right." Her voice is low and serious.

He places a hand on her shoulder. "I am," he assures her. "I would have called if I could have. We could've used your help, actually."

The archer sighs. "It's different now," she tells him. "Before, if you were gone longer than usual, I could have grabbed my bow and took off. But now we have the baby to think about. And I think about how unfair it would be to him if he grew up not knowing you."

Wally realizes what she means. "Oh, Artemis," he whispers. "I will always come home. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried," Wally adds. He's hoping to lighten the mood, but he's sure he's not succeeding.

To his immense surprise, Artemis nods. "I know that," she says. "But when you aren't here, it's not so simple. I can't help worrying." She stops talking then, and Wally has a hunch that the archer is mentally berating herself. She's never been good with words or emotions or opening up.

Wally remembers a few occasions when he had to be the one waiting for her. It's definitely not fun. They both know what they're doing as heroes, but that's not to say there aren't risks. He imagines what it must be like for Artemis to lay awake with the bed beside her empty and a two month old baby in the next room. And suddenly, he's pulling her into his arms. He doesn't ever want to let go.

"I can't do this anymore," Artemis says eventually. Wally pulls back. His heart is in his throat and he hopes she's not saying that he thinks she's saying. "I can't sit around at home and hope that you come back."

The Flash frowns. "I would never ask you to give it up. Being a hero is part of you. It's a part of you that I love."

"I know you wouldn't ask," the reporter answers. "I just feel like it's been implied. When I was pregnant, obviously I couldn't do anything on active duty. But now I feel ready to go back. I'm so sick of monitor duty." She smiles slightly to assure him the last part is a joke, but Wally knows his wife is serious.

"If that's how you feel, I know everyone will be glad to have you back."

"That's how I feel," Artemis says in a firm tone. "Now let's get you cleaned up and try to get some sleep."

0o0o0o0

Richie is seven months old and the Wests have something of a schedule in place. They all get up together and have breakfast. Wally goes to work and Artemis does her exercise routine with Richie in tow. Sometimes she stops a minor crime in Central City or Keystone City. She goes to her reporter job for GBS News in late afternoon after dropping the baby with Wally or Mary and Rudy. After work, they do a quick run of the Twin Cities or go on a mission with the League.

They are both happier now. She feels more secure knowing she is there to watch Wally's back. They look out for each other and Artemis is glad that all her pent-up restless energy is being used for good.

One morning in late January, Artemis wakes up feeling nauseous. She does everything slowly in hopes that she won't end up vomiting. When the blonde woman finally makes it out to the kitchen, she finds that Wally has already collected their son from his room and is giving him breakfast. "Hey, honey," he greets when he hears her come in. then the redhead sees his wife's slightly green pallor and he's instantly concerned. "Are you feeling all right?"

The archer shakes her head and sinks into a kitchen chair. Richie is babbling happily, but her son's chatter fails to bring a smile to his mother's face. Wally puts a hand on her forehead.

He frowns and then whizzes across the kitchen to make her some toast. "Eat this," he says when he's done spreading butter across the toasted bread. "It'll help settle your stomach." Wally reaches down to tuck some stray hair behind her ear.

Artemis nibbles her toast slowly and tries not to watch Wally zoom around the apartment as he finishes getting ready for work. "You don't feel sick at all?" she calls to the redhead. She's sure she ate something funky from the take out Wally had brought home the night before.

"I feel great!" Wally replies cheerfully. "Why do you ask?"

"I must have had something bad to eat," Artemis says. "That's the only reason I could be sick."

Wally appears in the kitchen once more. "Are you sure that's the _only_ reason?" he asks. "Because I ate the same stuff you did last night and I am not the one who feels sick."

Before the archer can answer her husband, she is overcome with the urgent need to vomit. She leaps off of her chair and sprints down the hallway to their room. She has just enough time to feel grateful that the door to the bathroom is already open before she's on her knees retching into the toilet. Wally helpfully runs off to get her a bottle of water.

When he returns, she's leaning back against the bathtub. Her face is in what he recognizes to be her concentrating expression. He sees her mouth form a few words, but he's not sure exactly what she's saying.

"I'm late," she says so he can hear. "By about two weeks. I just figured that because we've been so busy, my clock hasn't caught up yet. It's happened before. But now that I'm puking, I have to consider that I might be pregnant again."

Before he can stop himself, a grin crosses his face. "That's great," Wally says earnestly. Then he notices that Artemis is looking kind of pale. He can tell that it's not just because of the fact that she's just thrown up. He sits beside her on the cool tiles of the bathroom floor.

Artemis's gray eyes are conflicted. "If there's a baby, that's a good thing. Right?" The Flash bobs his head. "And we did kind of decide on a big family," the reporter continues.

"We did," the redheaded hero agrees. "But before you panic, let's find out for sure, okay? And really, we don't have much to worry about. We've done a pretty good job with the first one so far."

She smiles, and Wally leans in to press a kiss to her cheek. Then he stands and helps her to her feet. "Artemis," he says. "I hope you know I love you either way."

"I do," Artemis replies. She looks at his face and sees the hope there. Hope that they are going to have another baby to love and care for. "I love you, too."


	5. Chapter 5

.

_A/N: Well, after watching the season 2 premiere of YJ, all I can say is I guess I will be ignoring the canon from now on. The couples will still be Spitfire, Supermartian, and Chalant._

**The Wests**

Artemis is in fact pregnant for the second time. She assures Wally that she truly is happy to be expecting another baby and tells him that she'd rather get having a family over with. The sooner they're done having children, the better. The end product is nothing short of a miracle and all that junk, but being pregnant with a speedster's baby is no picnic at all.

This pregnancy is a lot different than her first. This baby is hungry _all the time_, even more than Richie was. It gets to the point where she feels like she's eating every five minutes. On top of that, she's sick every single morning and nearly every afternoon as well. Overall, Artemis feels pretty miserable.

Wally does everything he can to make her feel comfortable. He brings her food whenever she asks and rubs her feet every evening. Having an errand boy is a pretty good deal, but it helps only slightly. Most of the time, Artemis is too busy alternately stuffing her face and puking her guts out to appreciate it.

When they had found out for sure that she was pregnant again, the Wests had agreed to keep it quiet for awhile. This is another contrast to the first child; with Richie they had told everyone right away. But Wally grimly recalls how he was almost launched through a wall by a congratulatory punch on the arm from Conner when they announced the first baby and Artemis agrees to only tell his parents and her mom.

This agreement is, unfortunately, one that does not last for too long. The League is very busy trying to keep another war from breaking out between Bialya and Qurac. Wally hates the idea of leaving Artemis alone so much with a baby to look after and another on the way. Artemis protests that she is able to look after herself. The Flash disagrees and eventually she gives him permission to tell the League.

It seems like someone is always with her. Anyone who is not on active duty serving as a body guard to the president of Qurac trades off on babysitting her. The archer is frustrated by this to say the least. Megan tries to tell her that Wally merely wants her to have some company while he's gone. The blonde reporter does not buy this.

Artemis is eight months pregnant with their second son. It is early August and the air is still too warm for Artemis to feel comfortable. She watches Wally don his Flash suit and feels even hotter. Because she's so close to her due date, Wally has requested to stay in the continental US. He is going to be one of the League members on site at a peace summit in DC.

Tonight her babysitter is Kaldur. That's a welcome change, if she's being honest. Kaldur will not chatter about possible baby names or wedding plans like her girlfriends do. Kaldur will let her sit in silence if she so chooses. He's a calming person to be around. Artemis knows she can use a good dose of calm these days.

The Atlantean arrives shortly before Wally is due to leave. When Artemis lets him in, he asks after her health and that of the baby. He does not rub her belly and babble to the child like M'gann had two nights before. For that alone, Artemis is grateful.

Wally steps out of Richie's room after putting him to bed. He is in full uniform now. Artemis feels a pang of longing. She knows she would have been assigned to this mission as well if she weren't pregnant. She frowns down at her baby bump. The heat is making her grumpy.

The archer shakes her head at her petulant thoughts. _'Sorry, little guy,'_ she thinks. _'I do love you. You know that, don't you? I'm sorry I'm crazy.'_

Artemis settles in on the couch. She watches Wally shake Kaldur's hand and thank him for being here. She remembers back when the two men in front of her were Kid Flash and Aqualad. Now they are Flash and Aquaman. She thinks of how far they have all come.

Wally kisses her good-bye and tells her he loves her. Then he runs off to meet up with the rest of the League. Kaldur sits down beside Artemis on the couch. She turns on the TV.

The pair channel surf for awhile. Artemis is not too interested in anything that is on. Kaldur has never been one for television. The apartment is quiet, but not awkwardly so. As Artemis predicted, she feels more at peace beside the dark skinned Atlantean. She idly muses that even the baby seems to have calmed down some.

Richie cries after awhile and Artemis goes to change him. When he is fresh, she carries him out to the living room where Kaldur still sits. The archer holds her son out to her former teammate and he takes the child willingly. Kaldur holds Richie so that he faces Artemis. She makes some of his favorite silly faces for entertainment. He laughs joyously. Artemis kisses her son's chubby cheek.

"You are a good mother," Kaldur says in his kind voice. "It suits you."

"Thanks, Kaldur." Artemis's smile is interrupted by a rush of water that seeps down her legs and drips onto her feet. "That feels like when my water broke right before Richie was born," she says. "But the baby's not due for three weeks. And Wally's not here." Artemis is unable to hide the faint note of panic that makes its way into her voice.

"Perhaps you are having what they call a false labor," Kaldur suggests. "I would feel better if I took you to be examined by a doctor."

The archer is about to agree with him when an unbearable pain courses through her body. "I don't think it's a false labor," she grunts when it passes for the moment. "I'm having contractions. But I'm not ready to have him yet. My bag's not packed for the hospital and Wally is halfway across the country. I don't want to have the baby yet."

Kaldur frowns at her. "I cannot help you keep the child from coming. But I am prepared to assist you in any way that I can."

"Call an ambulance, please," she says. "Then try to get through to Wally if you can. Oh, and we should call Mary and Rudy, too. I'll get my stuff ready." She waddles down the corridor to her bedroom. She piles a few oversized T-shirts into her bag as well as a few other necessities.

Artemis finds Kaldur in Richie's bedroom. He holds the child securely in one arm and packs a diaper bag with the other. She spots several outfits as well as clean bottles and jars of baby food. "The ambulance will arrive shortly. Wally's parents will meet us at the hospital. I thought it best to have provisions for Richie as well."

She feels a rush of gratitude for this man who has been like a brother to her. "Thanks." A contraction starts and she tries to remember her breathing exercises from her Lamaze classes. "Did you get a hold of Wally?"

Kaldur shakes his head. "I was only able to reach M'gann at the Watchtower. She promised to contact Martian Manhunter who is at the conference with Wally." He sees the worried look on her face and smiles. "I know Wally will not miss this," he assures her.

The Atlantean helps her down to the front of the apartment building. The ambulance arrives just as they do. The ride is quick, which Artemis appreciates. She wants to have the baby in a safe, clean place. Of course, she also wants to have her husband beside her as she pushes his spawn into the world, but she's trying not to think about that.

Mary finds them when they arrive at the hospital. Rudy trails after his wife. "How are you doing, dear?" Mary asks her daughter-in-law. "Can I get you anything?"

Artemis has always gotten along well with Mary. "I'm doing okay so far," Artemis replies. "I can't wait to get some pain meds, though. I don't remember contractions being this bad before."

"My daughter-in-law needs drugs!" Mary announces. The archer would feel embarrassed if not for the fact that she knows Mary is pushy enough to get her whatever she wants. She's always liked that about Mrs. West.

A nurse wheels Artemis into a room. The Wests and Kaldur follow. "It's nice to see you again, Kaldur," Mary says conversationally. "Has Wally answered anyone yet? You'd think he'd want to be here for the birth of his child."

"You _would_ think that," Artemis grinds out. "I'm sure he's on his way though."

If he is on his way, no one hears from him. The nurses start hinting that it's time to move into Delivery, but Artemis resists the idea as much as she is able. She doesn't want to do this without Wally. It feels wrong, somehow. The reporter mentally curses her husband for not being here.

"This baby is coming now," one of the nurses says. "You have to let us move you."

Artemis finally agrees. "Will you take Richie?" she asks her in-laws. Mary nods and picks up the diaper bag. Rudy has the baby. He follows closely after his wife. The archer looks back at Kaldur. "I hate to ask you this," she starts, "but if he hasn't shown up by the time they move me, will you stay with me?"

"Of course," Kaldur says. "I would not think of leaving you by yourself."

She's about to thank him when the door opens and Wally bursts in. He's had the good sense to change into civvies, at least. His expression is frenzied. "I didn't miss it, did I?" he asks.

Kaldur shakes his head. Wally lets out a sigh of relief. "Where were you?" Artemis demands. "Why didn't you call? Do you have any idea how much pain I'm in because you had to go and knock me up again?"

"I was held up." There's a slight edge to his voice. "But I'm here now." The redhead looks at Kaldur. "Thank you for taking care of my family." The Atlantean nods and quietly slips out of the room.

Wally dresses in the scrubs, cap and gloves that he's supplied with. He stays right beside her as the doctor carefully coaches Artemis through the rest of the delivery. It's fairly smooth, but Artemis is always quick to remind Wally how much trouble he's in during the rough parts.

In the end, they are finally rewarded with their son. Despite being three weeks early, he still weighs a very healthy eight and a half pounds, which is probably thanks to the enormous appetite she's had during her pregnancy. The baby looks a lot like Richie had as a newborn. He's got Artemis's blond hair and the same fat little cheeks.

"He's beautiful," Wally whispers beside her. He holds one of the baby's tiny fists, marveling. "What's his name?"

Artemis shrugs. "I don't know. We aren't too good at picking names beforehand, are we?" She smiles slightly at him before leaning back into her pillows.

Wally kisses her forehead. "We'll figure it out. Do you feel up for visitors yet?"

She nods and Wally disappears. The reporter looks down at her son. She drinks in every detail of his face: his tiny mouth, his bright blue newborn eyes, his button nose. "I love you very much," she tells her newest family member.

Wally comes back with Kaldur. "Your parents took Richie on a walk through the hospital," Kaldur is saying. The Flash bobs his head before ushering the Atlantean over to where Artemis lays. The archer gives her friend a smile. "I am glad everything went well."

"Well, I'm glad I was smart enough to have someone stay with Artemis," Wally replies smugly. "I can't than you enough for getting her here safely."

But Artemis is hardly paying attention to her husband's arrogant tone. "Cal," she says.

Both Wally and Kaldur look over at her. "For the baby," Artemis elaborates. "I think it's the least we can do. Cal West. Has a good ring to it."

Aquaman smiles faintly. "I am honored."

Wally takes their son from Artemis's arms and looks down at him fondly. "Well, Cal, welcome to the family."


	6. Chapter 6

.

_A/N: As promised, Supermartian and Chalant. Lol. Marie Kent is named after Marie Logan. Ella Grayson's name is taken from Zatanna's mother's name, which, according to everything I could find, was Sindella._

_As for which Roy is Lian's father, let's say it's Clone!Roy because he's the one everyone has gotten to know over the years, not Original!Roy._

**The Wests**

"Boys! What did Mommy tell you about staying out of the way?" Artemis's voice is not necessarily mad, but she's definitely annoyed. Wally knows this is not entirely her fault, however. It's a really hot day at the end of August, they are in the middle of moving into their new house, the boys are underfoot, and to top it off, Artemis is pregnant again.

They had been looking for a bigger home for the four of them before Artemis told him about the new baby. The soon-to-be baby West only expedited their search.

The house is huge. Artemis's standards are impossibly high and it took awhile for them to find a house she would give her complete approval on. Wally remembers joking about how such a house didn't exist. Of course, he also remembers her smug look when they found it.

It's the perfect house for them, though. It has four bedrooms and a big room off the kitchen that Artemis plans to use as the kids' playroom. There are lots of windows all over the place that let in a ton of natural light. The backyard is really large and has a big oak tree for the boys to climb in when they get older.

Artemis finally manages to herd the boys over to the front lawn where Megan and Zatanna stand. Each woman holds a baby girl in her arms. Marie Kent and Ella Grayson are just one month apart in age and have been thick as thieves so far in their short lives.

Somehow, Artemis coaxes the boys to sit down on a picnic blanket. The babies are placed next to them. Zatanna thinks quickly and entertains the children by doing a few tricks. The girls are too young to do anything besides look mesmerized, but Richie and Cal clap in excitement.

Wally helps Conner carry one of the couches into the house. Conner could easily do it himself, but Wally and Artemis want to keep a low profile more than anything. Wally knows they'll be coming and going at strange hours as it is, and he doesn't want to do anything that might make the neighbors suspicious.

The heroes carry the couch into the living room. "Let's just put it down," Wally suggests. "Artemis is just going to make me move it a dozen times before she's happy with where it is."

Conner gives a half smile as he sets his end down on the floor. Together they make their way back outside.

The boys have grown tired of Zatanna's magic tricks and are now running around in circles on the front lawn. They are a little faster than the average toddler, but it's hardly noticeable. Artemis keeps a watchful eye on the children as she always does. Wally watches a smile cross his wife's face.

Megan has reclaimed her daughter and cradles her next to Artemis. "So, Artemis," the Martian begins, "do you want another boy or do you want a girl?"

"I don't care either way as long as it's healthy," the archer replies. "On one hand, I know all about boys already. But on the other hand, I know Wally really wants a girl. I've heard him call the baby 'Iris' when he thought I was sleeping."

The Flash feels a little indignant at his wife's words. He's at her side in the blink of an eye. "For the record, I want the baby to be healthy. I don't care if it's a boy or a girl." Wally glances down at the baby in M'gann's arms. "But I definitely wouldn't mind a girl. Look at you; aren't you just so cute?" he coos to Marie. She releases a happy baby laugh when he makes a funny face at her.

"Oh please, Wally," Dick pipes up. "You would let a little girl walk all over you."

"Or _run_ all over you," Zatanna quips in response to her husband's comment. Everyone bursts into laughter of the magician's joke. Wally puts a pouting expression on his face, which only makes the group of heroes laugh harder.

Artemis spins to face her husband. She winds her arms around his midsection. "You're a great dad," she says quietly. He grins and kisses her forehead.

With everyone distracted by the Graysons' jokes, Richie and Cal have run off to get into more mischief. Conner spots them attempting to climb into the moving truck. He plucks them off of the ramp and brings them back to their parents. One West boy dangles from each of his arms and they shriek in delight as if it's a game of some sort.

"Look Wally, we don't have kids anymore," Artemis observes. "We have pet monkeys."

"I hate monkeys," Conner deadpans. The West boys giggle as they are handed off to Wally and Artemis.

Cal and Richie look up at the clone with adoration on their little faces. "More play, Unca Conner," Cal implores. He tugs the half-Kryptonian's hand.

Wally gently pulls his son's hand away from Conner's. "Maybe Uncle Conner will play with you later," he suggests. "But right now, it's lunch time. And maybe after that you and Richie can play in your pool."

The toddlers forget all about Conner and race off to get lunch. Wally smiles after his boys and then looks over at Conner. "Thanks." The clone merely nods in response and heads back into the van to bring in more stuff.

0o0o0o0

Later, after everyone has gone home for the night, Wally finds Artemis looking in on the boys. The house is big enough for each boy to have his own room, but they are sharing one for the moment. They are close and Artemis thinks it's a good idea to let them bond while they're young.

The boys are fast asleep in their bunk beds. They look very sweet while sleeping. He smiles as he comes to stand next to Artemis.

"That was quick," she says in reference to the patrol he has just come back from.

"It was quiet tonight," Flash replies as he takes her hand. "Which is a good thing. After all the heavy lifting I did today, I don't really have much energy for fighting Captain Cold." He turns his attention back to the boys' room. "How were they?"

The archer follows her husband's gaze. "They fell asleep right after you left for your run through the city. I barely got them upstairs before they were out like lights." She looks at the children fondly. "They had a big day."

Wally nods. Then he glances down at the baby bump that is just barely visible. He is reminded of the conversation from earlier in the day. "You know I don't _really_ care whether the baby is a boy or a girl, right? You know I couldn't love our baby any less because of something as inconsequential as gender."

Artemis smiles at the red haired hero beside her. "I know that, Wally," she replies. "Like I said earlier, you're a great dad to the boys. I don't have any doubts."

"I love being a father. And I think having three boys would be great. But I also think it might be nice to have a little girl."

"It would be nice," Artemis agrees. "I'm feeling a little outnumbered. A girl would be a nice balance."

Wally's green eyes are bright as he locks gazes with Artemis. "If it _is_ a girl, can we name her Iris?" The speedster has always been close to his aunt and it's become a tradition for them to name their children after people they love. He can just picture little Iris now: his red hair and Artemis's storm gray eyes with his love of science and Artemis's uncanny aim. He smiles at the picture in his mind.

The blonde woman takes one last look at her sons' Flash themed room before she leads Wally away. She pulls him down the corridor to their new room. The couple settles in on their bed, which is among the only furniture in the room. "I've been thinking about that," Artemis begins. "And I think that since we named the boys after people we know if we have a girl she should have her own name."

He's not able to hide his disappointment. He can tell she knows he's not happy with her answer by the slightly guilty expression on her face. "Well, it's not set in stone," she adds. "Maybe she'll just look like an Iris and there won't be any other name for her."

He feels a little better. "Okay," he agrees. "Good plan."

0o0o0o0

Six months later, the Wests sit in a delivery room at Central City Memorial. The newest West child is tucked into the crook of Artemis's arms and swaddled in a soft cotton blanket. "Well, he definitely doesn't look like an Iris," she says matter-of-factly.

Like his brothers before him, this baby has Artemis's blond hair and Wally's fair skin. His eyes have a slight almond shape to them. They move behind his closed lids as if he's having a dream.

"Roy?" Wally suggests. "It seems appropriate. He's our niece's dad and he's been a good friend over the years, all things considered."

The reporter shakes her head. "I don't think so. I always think of a dog whenever I hear that name." She wrinkles her nose.

There's a tap on the window that looks out into the hallway. Wally and Artemis look over to see Conner standing on the other side of the glass with three-year-old Richie and two-year-old Cal dangling from his arms. They both remember the similar scene from moving day. The boys are grinning at their parents, clearly excited. Artemis smiles and waves the group inside. Conner carries them in and sets them on the hospital bed next to their mother.

"Baby," Cal says simply. He looks at the child, amazed at the sight of something so small. "Name?"

Wally ruffles his middle son's hair. "He doesn't have one yet." Then the scientist has an idea. He whispers in Artemis's ear. He expects she'll put her foot down at his suggestion, but it's worth a try. To his surprise, his wife bobs her head in agreement. Wally addresses his older children. "Do you want to name him?"

Their little faces light up. "Monkey," Richie declares. Cal giggles. The West parents exchange a horrified look.

"Monkey is not a name, Richie," Artemis says gently. "You know that."

He tries again. "Conner, like Unca Conner."

Artemis studies her youngest son's face and consults her husband. "I like it. Do you?"

"I do. And since we had James picked out as a middle name for a boy, we can call him CJ."

The Kryptonian Conner looks as pleased as they've ever seen him. "That's really…nice of you."

"You've been good to the boys," Wally replies. "You're their favorite uncle."

Conner's face remains pleased. He watches the Wests look at their new son and guesses they might want some time to themselves. The clone scoops up Richie and Cal. "Come on, little monkeys. Let's give your parents some space."

When it's just the three of them left, Wally kisses his wife. "Thank you," he says against her mouth. "The baby is perfect."

"I'll give you _some_ credit for that," the archer quips. She studies her husband carefully. "Are you sad we didn't have a girl? You can tell me. I won't be mad."

"No, I'm not sad. I have three beautiful sons and an amazing wife. I don't have anything to be sad about." Wally locks his gaze with Artemis. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She gives a slight smile and closes her eyes. Wally suspects she's fallen asleep when she suddenly pipes up, "But we won't be having another child."


	7. Chapter 7

.

**The Wests**

It is Richie's first day of kindergarten. To say the least, he is not happy. Despite having new clothes and shoes, a Green Lantern backpack, and an assortment of Flash themed school supplies, he's not excited at all. Artemis knows this probably means she'll be facing all sorts of problems with her oldest son, but she feels smug all the same. He doesn't want to leave his mommy.

The entire West brood takes Richie to his school. He clutches Artemis's hand nervously. Wally carries CJ on his shoulders and keeps one of Cal's small hands in his own. It's a nice picture, Artemis muses. Wally catches her eyes and grins.

Richie's classroom number is 2A. His teacher is listed as Mrs. Temple. The Wests have heard she's a nice teacher, but Artemis has never been one to be satisfied with a mere reputation. She'll feel much better once she's met the woman who will be teaching and caring for her son.

She's standing outside the door to the classroom. Artemis's first thought is that she looks like someone's grandma. That does make her feel more at ease. The archer gently guides her son toward Mrs. Temple. The teacher smiles and bends down to Richie's level. "What's your name?"

"Richard John West," he says. "But mostly Mommy and Daddy call me Richie."

Mrs. Temple writes Richie's name on a nametag. She gives it to him and he sticks it on his shirt. He spots some other children playing on the brightly colored rugs in the classroom. "Can I play with them?" he asks. It's the first time he's been the slightest bit interested in starting school.

Wally grins. "You sure can, buddy. But Mommy and I want to talk to you first." The family finds a quiet corner to talk in. The Flash swings CJ down off of his shoulders so he can squat more easily. "Richie, you're a big boy now."

The oldest West boy looks impatient. "I know I am. Can I play now?" He has taken off his backpack and is looking for the Nightwing figurine Artemis allowed him to bring.

"Just a minute, Richie," Artemis puts in. "Now, we already told you this, but you really need to pay attention. We're a little different from other families. You can't tell people about me and Daddy. You can't tell them about your aunts and uncles. Do you understand?"

Richie bobs his golden head. "I won't, Mommy. I won't tell anyone. And I won't show anyone how fast I can go."

The archer can see her son understands what they're telling him. She's sure he can keep his word. Artemis smiles and draws her son in for a quick hug before releasing him. Richie calls a good-bye over his shoulder and runs over to a little boy playing with a Green Arrow figure. They start playing immediately. Artemis and Wally are completely forgotten.

"I wanna go too!" Cal protests. He's never been without Richie before. It's rare to see them apart. Artemis smiles sadly at Wally before taking the middle child's hand.

"Next year," the blonde woman tells him. "It's not your turn yet."

The remaining Wests stick around for awhile to observe Richie. He's happy as a clam and doesn't look at them once. Artemis doesn't like it. "They're growing up so fast," she murmurs.

Wally glances down at her. He has the same slightly sad expression on his face. "They are. Soon it'll be Cal starting school, then CJ. And we won't have any other kids to send off to school…"

Artemis takes a step toward her husband and gives him a hard pinch. "I know what you're trying to do," she says. "And I want you to stop it."

Wally pouts. He's been trying to talk her into having another baby for the better part of six months. He has assured her in the past that he was happy to stop at three children, but he seems to have forgotten about that. He wants one more little West. Artemis is not having it.

"This is not the place to discuss our family," the archer hisses. The speedster perks up a tiny bit.

"That means we have to talk about it later," he says cheerfully. The redhead kisses his wife's cheek and swings CJ back onto his shoulders. He takes Cal's hand again and leads the youngest West boys from Richie's classroom. Artemis pauses to say good-bye to her oldest son before following Wally's path. She wonders how she could have given him such an easy way to broach the topic again. She must be losing her touch.

0o0o0o0

It's a few weeks later when he finally opens his mouth about the subject again. He's been waiting for her to be in a good mood before springing it on her. It's a tactic he's used when trying to get his way in the past. It hasn't ever been truly effective but that's not for a lack of trying. He's convinced that it will work someday.

"Hey, beautiful," Wally greets her as she walks into their room. She's still dressed in her uniform and toting all of her gear. She's just coming back from a mission with Ollie. It went well, hence her good mood. Artemis is immediately annoyed that her husband is trying to cash in on her good spirits.

She's wary as she answers. "Hi, Wally." Artemis dumps her equipment on the floor before she starts pulling her uniform off to get ready for bed. "How were the boys?"

"They were perfect little angels." The archer gives her husband a flat look. "So maybe they weren't perfect," Wally amends. "But the house is still standing, isn't it?"

Artemis rolls her eyes. She hears Wally let out a small sigh as she heads into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"So I wanted to talk to you about something," the redhead presses on as he follows her into the bathroom. "Again. We've talked about this before." He sounds kind of nervous but unmistakably optimistic as well. Artemis waves her hand impatiently as a signal to get on with it. "I want another baby."

The reporter spits out a mouthful of toothpaste and rinses with water. Then she pats her face dry and locks gazes with her husband in the mirror. "Sure, honey," she says in a bright tone. "We can have another baby."

The Flash's expression brightens. "Really? That was easier than I thought it would be. I thought you'd put your foot down like you did all the other times we spoke about it."

Artemis turns to her husband and reaches out to cup his face in her hand. "You didn't let me finish," Artemis says sweetly. "We can have another baby as soon as you can figure out how to carry it and give birth to it."

Wally's face falls. "That was unnecessarily cruel, Arty."

"Wally, you're a scientist. If anyone can do it, you can."

He groans. "Yes, I'm a scientist. I'm not a _mad_ scientist." He exits the bathroom and flops down on their bed. "Why don't you want another baby? Why don't you want a little girl?"

She flips off the bathroom light and joins him on the bed. "It's not that I _don't_ want a girl," Artemis replies. "I don't know if you've noticed, but we're three for three on boys. And even if we had another kid, it'd probably be another boy. And then two years from now you'd be trying to convince me to have one more so we could finally have a girl."

The speedster looks very sad. "So you're telling me you don't even want to think about it?" he asks softly. "You haven't pictured us having a daughter someday?"

"Of course I've thought about it," Artemis says. "It just didn't work out that way." The archer presses her lips against Wally's as she snuggles into his embrace. "Can't we just be grateful for what we've got?" she asks in a whisper.

Wally lets out another deep sigh. "Yeah," he agrees finally. "We're really lucky, aren't we?" Artemis nods against his chest. The couple falls into a companionable silence before Wally pipes up again. "Can we get a dog?"

0o0o0o0

That is how Artemis West finds herself at a local animal shelter a week later. As Wally has enthused, every kid should have a dog. Neither West parent has ever owned a dog, but the Flash does not seem to remember this little detail. He has been doing research about different dog breeds in preparation. The boys are very excited at the prospect of having a pet.

The Wests request to see family friendly dogs at the shelter's front desk. They are shown to a big empty room and told that a dog will be brought to them shortly. As they wait to see a puppy, Artemis muses that Wally is just as excited as the kids are.

"This is Lightning," one of the volunteers announces as she pushes the door open. She leads a Labrador retriever puppy on a leash. "She's very friendly. So far as we know, she's good with children but we'll keep her on the leash just in case." She turns to the little boys. "Would you like to pet her?"

Richie, flanked by Cal and CJ, bravely reaches forward and pats the dog's head. The puppy wiggles and jumps joyously. The children giggle and Artemis lets a smile cross her face at the sound. Encouraged by this, the volunteer asks, "May I take her off of the leash?"

"Yes." Artemis kneels down and is rewarded with a lap full of wriggling puppy and a cold, wet nose pressed against her arm. "Aren't you cute?" she murmurs. She glances up at Wally to find him grinning down at her. "What do you think?"

The redhead joins her. "I think she's perfect. She seems very mild mannered and the kids like her. I also really like her name."

"Of course you do," Artemis mutters as she rolls her eyes. But then she smiles as the dog seeks out CJ for an extra pat. "I like her too. We'll take her."

0o0o0o0

Lightning fits in well with the family. She spends hours running around the yard with the children and it's very clear she's fond of her charges. She's a gentle playmate but there's a protective quality to her as well. Artemis is glad she agreed to a family dog. Not only is it good for the children, but Wally hasn't brought up the idea of having another baby since they brought the puppy home.

Artemis has just arrived at the GBS News station one afternoon when there's a breaking news alert. The Flash has been spotted running into a burning apartment building to rescue people trapped inside. Artemis is assigned to the story. Fortunately she's grown good at putting on a blank mask. The reporter has had stories concerning the Flash before and she's always done an excellent job of remaining detached on the outside no matter what she's feeling on the inside. It's one of the few good things her father taught her.

When she gets to the scene, the fire department has detained the fire. Artemis mentally breathes a sigh of relief. She asks all the right questions and learns that the fire didn't get the chance to spread and that all of the residents have come out safely, including a six month old baby girl who the Flash has rescued personally.

"And can you tell me where the Flash is?" Artemis asks the building manager. "I know our viewers would love to get a few words from him."

"I sure can," he replies. "The paramedics took him to the hospital."


	8. Chapter 8

.

**The Wests**

Wally is bored. Being a speedster means he's not good at sitting still. When he's stuck sitting in a hospital bed with nothing to do, he's not a happy camper.

He tries to wait patiently as the doctors and nurses perform their various tests. They want to see if smoke inhalation has done the scarlet speedster any serious harm. Wally has tried to tell them that his body has long healed any damage done to it, but no one listens to him.

Finally, they leave him to rest. One nurse turns the TV on for him. She turns it to GBS News and smiles as she pats his hand and exits the hospital room.

Artemis is on the television screen. She's interviewing the apartment building manager. Wally can see the relief in his wife's gray eyes when she's told no one has perished in the fire. Then he can see the concern on her face when she learns he's been taken to the hospital.

"Stupid paramedics," the Flash grumbles to himself. "I don't need a doctor. Now I'm never going to hear the end of it."

The redhead feels fine and he wants to go home. He wants to hug his children and kiss his wife and erase all of her doubts. Wally knows that's not happening though. He's been told he'll be under observation for at least twelve hours. This means Artemis will be here as soon as her segment wraps. Wally groans softly. She's not going to be happy.

The Flash tries to rest while he waits for the inevitable confrontation. He doesn't have long to wait. It's a mere fifteen minutes before he hears the familiar sound of Artemis's voice. She's arguing with someone, probably one of the nurses. Wally smiles faintly to himself. One thing that has never changed about her is that she's definitely a fighter. His spitfire.

The nurse opens the door to admit the blonde reporter. She looks annoyed. "Flash, this woman would like to interview you for GBS News. I told her you want to rest but she won't take no for an answer. I can call security if you'd like." Artemis snorts dismissively.

"That's not necessary," the hero assures her with a winning smile. The nurse scowls but leaves the room. She pulls the door closed behind her. Wally looks back at Artemis. "Where's the camera crew?"

"I'm going to record you, if you don't mind," Artemis replies coolly. "The cameraman was needed for another assignment." She rummages in her bag and pulls out her phone.

While she busies herself with switching to the camcorder function on her phone, Wally leans back against his pillows. His expression is smug. He can tell his wife is not amused. He wants to talk to her as himself, as her husband, but they both know they can't take that chance. A doctor or a nurse may come bursting in at any moment to "observe" him. So he must play up his Flash persona.

"Do you know you're my favorite GBS reporter?" he questions in what is unmistakably a flirting tone. "I think you're just beautiful."

Artemis smirks a bit now. "Careful, hero. I'm married." She taps her wedding band. "Besides, I always figured you were more of a Linda Park fan."

He knows she's teasing. This is a long standing joke of theirs. "She's not my type," he says. "So, how attached are you to this husband of yours? He's a very lucky man."

"I think so," Artemis replies. "But I'm pretty lucky, too. If you don't mind, I'd like to finish this interview. I have kids to feed."

"You're awfully touchy."

Artemis ignores the comment and finishes preparing for the interview. She counts backwards from three and then presses the red record button. She aims the phone at him, careful to keep her hands steady as possible. "So, Flash, can you tell me exactly what you're being treated for?"

The speedster is as cheerful as ever. "I'm not being treated for anything. I'm here as a precaution. The paramedics were concerned that I might have breathed in a lot of smoke while I was in that building. I'm only being observed for the moment. I should be released tomorrow morning."

His wife smiles at that answer and launches smoothly into her next question. "What was on your mind when you were in that apartment building?"

"The same thing that's always on my mind when I'm trying to save someone. I just want to see that person reunited with their loved ones. That's what's important to me. Stopping a bad guy is great; don't get me wrong. But if I can save a life, that's what makes doing what I do worth it."

"I can think of one family who's grateful for you tonight, Flash," Artemis responds. "Did you know the little girl is here as well? Doctors say she'll be just fine, thanks to you."

The redhead genuinely smiles. "I'm glad to hear that."

Artemis signs off and stops the recording. She sends the video file to her boss in an email and looks back at Wally. "That'll be on the eleven o'clock news, if you're interested."

He grins. "I love watching myself on TV." Artemis rolls her eyes and start packing up. Wally leans in close to his wife and mutters to her, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"I can come home if you want. It's not like they can catch me."

She shakes her head. "Stay here and rest. That's an order." The archer glances at the window that looks out into the hallway. No one is coming. Artemis takes a gamble and gives Wally a swift kiss.

The redhead grins appreciatively at the archer. "Yes, Ma'am."

"See you at home," she says as she crosses the room to the door. "And please, Wally. Try to be more careful."

0o0o0o0

He's released on schedule. They find nothing wrong with him, as predicted. He manages not to say, "I told you so."

Wally makes it home in enough time to see Richie off to school before he has to dash off to work. He kisses Artemis good-bye and notices that she lingers a bit longer than usual. The speedster had expected this. Artemis gets like this sometimes when he lands himself in the hospital.

In an attempt to reassure her that everything is fine, Wally is not the one to pull away first. He holds her until she is ready to let go. When she finally does, he gives her a gentle reminder that all is well.

As the weeks gradually turn into months, Wally knows his wife is not herself. She's not as quick with the sarcastic comments and it seems to him that she lays closer to him at night than she used to. He sees her gaze linger on the kids as they play in the yard with Lightning. She hugs them a little tighter.

What Wally notices the most, though, is how she seems to be everywhere when they're in the middle of a fight. For a nonpowered human, it sure seems to Wally that Artemis has become a shield designed specifically for him. Every time Wally turns around, his wife is guarding him, an arrow nocked in her bow, eyes carefully locked on whatever her target is.

The night of the fire has brought about a change in his wife. Wally can see it. To be honest, it scares him a lot. He doesn't know how to bring up his concerns. Wally knows she'll just deny that anything is different and it will cause a fight. He tells himself that Artemis will come to him when she's ready.

It's his birthday. They aren't planning anything too exciting, just a quiet night at home. The boys present him with hand drawn cards and there's a small pile of wrapped presents. Artemis makes enough food for a small army. Wally has just finished his second slice of cake when the wail of a siren pierces the air. The West parents look at each other and then at the boys playing in the next room. "It's your birthday, so I guess it's only fair to let you decide. Do you want to find out what's going on or give the boys a bath?" Artemis asks.

"I'd take the Rogues over bath time any day."

"Coward," Artemis mutters. Wally laughs before dashing into the playroom and saying good-bye to Richie, Cal, and CJ. He dresses in his red uniform in an instant, presses a kiss to Artemis's cheek, and is tearing through the city mere seconds later.

The Trickster is causing trouble downtown again. It's pretty routine stuff for him. Wally neatly dodges his attacks and rounds him up with little trouble. The Flash hands the Rogue over to the police and reminds them to get him back on his medication. If anything, Wally feels a tiny bit disappointed by the outcome. It would have been nice to get something interesting to do.

He takes a few extra laps through Central City and Keystone City. When he returns home, he finds that Artemis has finished bathing the boys. They are playing quietly together on the playroom floor while Artemis watches from the couch.

When the boys spot him, they pounce. In the blink of an eye, there are three sets of hands tugging on him and demanding his attention. "What happened, Dad?" Richie inquires. "Did you beat up a hundred guys? Did you save anyone?"

Wally ruffles his oldest son's blond hair. "I didn't beat anyone up, kiddo," he says.

"Who did you fight?" Cal wants to know.

"How about this: I will tell you all about what happened while I tuck you in. I seem to remember it being your guys' bedtime right about now."

The boys simultaneously groan at the thought of having to go to sleep. But the idea of hearing a new story about the Flash's heroic actions cancel out their dislike of bedtime and the three brothers agree to their father's deal.

Richie and Cal race up the stairs. Artemis carries CJ up to his room and the kids all pile up on CJ's bed. The archer kisses her sons goodnight and leaves Wally to tell his story.

The children ooh and ah at all the right places in his account of fighting the Trickster. They ask for another story when he finishes the first, but Wally can see how sleepy they are. He declines and tucks CJ into his bed before depositing Cal and Richie into their rooms and doing the same.

He finds Artemis sitting on their bed with their laptop balanced on her knees. The redhead sees that she's watching a video from the night of the fire. Wally knows it well; he's watched it himself. It was filmed on someone's cell phone and the sound quality isn't great. But the images are clear.

There's a big cloud of thick black smoke that swirls into the sky. An anxious crowd watches as a red blur speeds into the apartment building. A woman cries silently and watches the apartment building with her hands clasped in front of her. There is a cheer from the bystanders when he emerges with that little girl cradled in his arms. Wally delivers the baby to her mother, who cries some more. Her father shakes his hand, and the video ends.

Artemis closes the video and looks at him. "I can't stop thinking about that night," she says softly. "I know I haven't been myself lately and this is why. I've been thinking about what happened."

Wally sits down beside his wife. "I know you were worried about me after everything. But I'm fine. No one got hurt."

"I know you're fine. That's not what I meant. I've been thinking about this since the fire. I want you to know that I've changed my mind. I am willing to _try_ for another baby." Artemis's gray eyes are hopeful. He can see a spark of excitement there as well.

He swoops in and kisses her. "Really?" he asks."You're not pulling my leg again like last time?"

She shakes her head. "Nope. I'm completely serious. I have a few conditions, but like I said: I want to try."

"That's all I need," Wally says happily. "Since it's my birthday, can we get started on that trying now?" He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

His efforts earn him a smack on the arm. He yelps in surprise. "Listen, genius. I'm not kidding about my conditions. You might want to know about them going into this."

He nods. "Should I get a pen and paper?"

The reporter ignores him. "The big thing is that I don't want to keep trying forever. If I haven't gotten pregnant within a year, that's it. No ifs, ands, or buts. If we do have another baby, this is absolutely the last one. Okay?"

"What if the baby's a boy?"

She cups his face in her hand. "Then we'll have four beautiful sons. We _are _running out of people to name boys after, though."

Wally kisses her deeply. "Thank you," he murmurs as he pulls away a moment later. "Trying is more than I thought I would get."

"This is important to you," the archer says simply. "So it's important to me. And this might sound better in my head than it does out loud, but seeing you with that little girl in your arms looked right, somehow. You need one of your own."

0o0o0o0

On Valentine's Day, Wally gives Artemis a silver bracelet. A small silver arrow with a green enamel point dangles from it. He's sure he's going to get major brownie points for remembering Valentine's Day.

His present is a wrapped pregnancy test. His eyes widen. "So soon?" he asks. "We just started trying three months ago."

"All I know is that I'm late," she replies. She steps closer and winds her arms around his neck. She kisses him for a moment and then slides her hands down to rest against his chest. "Kids are asleep," she continues. "Want to take it now?"

"Race you," he murmurs. But he swings her up into his arms and speeds her into the bathroom.

While they wait, Artemis fiddles with the arrow charm on her bracelet. "Will you be disappointed if it's negative?" she asks finally.

"Of course not," Wally answers. "If it's negative, we'll just try again." He tucks her head under his chin.

The timer dings. Artemis takes a deep breath and picks up the white stick from where it rests on the countertop.

It's a tiny pink plus sign. There are actual tears in Artemis's eyes as she hugs him tightly. "We're going to have a baby," she says. "I'm so happy."

He can feel it. This one's a girl. "Me, too."

0o0o0o0

At the doctor's appointment, they're both eager to discover if they have a little girl on the way. The technician makes small talk as she readies Artemis for the ultrasound. "What baby is this?" she asks.

"We have three boys at home," Artemis replies.

"Hoping for a girl?" she follows up.

"That's the plan." Artemis winces a little at the icy temperature of the gel. She looks up at the screen anxiously as the first images of the baby appear.

Only there are two little forms showing up on the monitor. The technician is smiling at the couple. "As you can see, there are two babies. I can hear two heartbeats as well. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. West. You're having twins."


	9. Chapter 9

.

_A/N: Gio Grayson is named after Zatanna's father. Amistad is the name of Raquel's son in the comics. Artemis has a daughter named Isabelle in the comics, so I didn't think Victoria was too much of a stretch._

**The Wests**

"Wally, what are you doing?" Artemis demands of her husband. It's hours later and he's been avoiding her ever since they got home from the doctor's office. He even made an extra trip through the two cities they protect in order to stay out longer. She knows her husband thinks she's angry about the turn of events that occurred earlier.

The redhead literally jumps at the sound of her voice. Artemis frowns. It wasn't like she was trying to be quiet and sneak up on him. Wally turns to face her. His arms are full of blankets and there's a pillow tucked into the mess as well. He looks strangely guilty.

Artemis continues to stare at her husband as she waits for a response. She folds her arms across her chest. She feels impatient as he sputters a bit. Finally, he blurts out, "I'm going to go sleep on the couch."

She decides they may as well have this conversation now. She casually leans against the wall in the corridor. Her arms are still crossed over her chest. "And why would you think you need to sleep on the couch?" the reporter asks the scientist.

"I thought it might be good to give you a little bit of space right now," Wally admits. "I know I'm not your favorite person at the moment. I understand that, I do. But at the same time, I don't particularly feel like being murdered in my sleep."

The archer creases her face into a frown again. "Honestly, Wally. I'm not going to kill you in your sleep. That's ridiculous, even for you. If I killed you, I'd be left with five kids to raise on my own, which I don't want. Trust me."

Artemis closes the distance between them and takes the blankets from his grasp. She stacks them neatly in the linen cabinet before she motions for Wally to follow her back to their room. "I know you think I'm mad at you, but I'm not. I swear I'm not."

Wally looks confused. "You're not? But…you _were_ at that appointment earlier, right? You _do_ know we're having twins?"

"Yes, Wally. I know we're having twins," she answers.

The speedster sits down on his side of the bed. He looks like he's having a hard time grasping the concept that she's not angry. "Twins is two," he says. "And you were so adamant about only wanting one. So I thought for sure you'd be mad that we're having two."

Artemis lets out a sigh as she moves to stand in front of her husband. She rests her hands on his shoulders and she feels his arms wind around her waist. "It's not your fault we're having twins," the blonde archer informs her husband. "I did a little bit of research online. The ultrasound showed two girls, right? Two babies of the same gender almost always means identical twins. Identical twins are completely random."

"So…basically the universe trolled us," Wally mumbles.

The blonde reporter chuckles. "The universe has been spending too much time with Dick," she adds. Artemis takes a step backwards, releasing herself from Wally's embrace. She moves past him to her side of the bed and stretches out. Wally mimics her and drapes his arm across her torso. She makes a contented sound and closes her eyes to rest.

Wally has other ideas. "We have a lot to talk about, Artemis. This is no time to go to sleep."

She recognizes the tone of his voice. Wally has left the zone of being overwhelmed and has gone straight to panic mode.

Artemis sucks in a deep breath before answering her husband. "What would you like to talk about, Wally?" The heroine makes no attempt to hide her annoyance.

"Let's start with the fact that we no longer have any baby stuff. I seem to remember you selling it all."

"We can get new stuff. That's the beauty of having a baby shower. You know Megan is probably beside herself that she gets to use pink decorations this time." The archer makes a face at the thought of her innocent daughters coated in the feminine color.

The Flash tries again. "Well, where are we going to put them? All the rooms we have are occupied. We'll have to put two of the boys together. That's not going to be fun. Remember why we separated Richie and Cal in the first place? We kept finding them up in the middle of the night playing superhero."

"We don't have to put two of the boys in the same room to make room for the girls. I was thinking we could put them in the attic."

He sputters indignantly. "You want to put _my_ baby girls in that dusty attic? I don't think so, Artemis." Wally tries to look firm and confident, as if he actually gets to decide. Artemis laughs.

"They're _our_ daughters, not just yours," she corrects the hero. "And I've wanted to renovate the attic for awhile now. We can probably find some good ideas on the internet. It's the perfect solution. The boys won't stay up late like they would if they shared a room, and when the girls are older they'll have plenty of privacy."

The redhead is not taking kindly to the way Artemis responds to his concerns so easily. Desperate, Wally plays his trump card. "What about their names?" he wants to know.

Words don't come quite as easily to the blonde woman this time. "I still want the girls to have their own names," she says after a few moments of consideration. "I don't really want an Iris or a Dinah. I think we should keep the tradition of naming kids after people we know for the boys."

Wally knows his wife is going to stand firm on this matter. He sighs quietly and then says, "Can Iris be a middle name?"

Artemis kisses his cheek. "Sure."

Wally feels appeased by this. "There are two of them, right? So let's each name one."

"Deal. But I think we should tell each other the names before they're born in case one of us really hates the name the other came up with. A power to veto, I guess."

"That…sounds reasonable." The Flash grins at her.

Artemis rolls over and closes her eyes again. "Are we done now? I really want you to shut up so I can go to sleep."

"I'm done." The archer is just falling asleep when he pipes up again. "Artemis? I love you."

He says it so sweetly and sincerely that she has to reply. "I love you too, Wally."

0o0o0o0

At first, Artemis isn't sure why everyone insists that she's brave. She's not a wimp, but she's not particularly any more courageous than any other member of the League.

But then as the various members of the League drop their children off with her before leaving for the mission, she understands. It takes someone who is either really brave or really stupid to volunteer to take care of a bunch of children with superpowers.

Of course, Artemis is not by herself. Zatanna and Kaldur have stayed behind with her to help out. It is the three heroes against nine children. To say they are outnumbered is the understatement of the century.

To be fair, three of the children are infants. Olivia Queen has slept soundly in her car seat since Ollie and Dinah left. Gio Grayson hasn't left his mother's arms once and has only made contented baby sounds. Kaldur's son, Amistad, sits quietly in the playpen Artemis has purchased for the soon-to-be baby Wests. As long as he can see Kaldur, the little boy is fine.

It is the older children who are handfuls. Between Artemis and Zatanna, they have managed to contain the chaos to just the playroom. It hasn't been an easy battle though. The poor playroom will never be the same.

At first, everyone behaves themselves. Lian draws, Richie and Cal play with their various action figures, Ella and Marie watch a movie, and CJ builds a tower with his wooden alphabet blocks. Kaldur watches the children from the couch while Zatanna rocks her son and Artemis makes dinner.

While the children busy themselves with macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, and baby carrots, Artemis leans against the counter next to the magician. She fans herself with a piece of scratch paper and looks at her friend. "Tell me something, Zatanna. Why am I always pregnant during the Missouri summer?"

Zatanna laughs and bounces Gio a bit. Then she gazes at her daughter. "Ella, honey, don't play with your food," she scolds gently. The dark haired woman turns back to the archer beside her. "Is Wally excited about the girls?" she asks. "He's wanted a daughter for a long time."

"He has," Artemis agrees with a slight smile. She looks down at her baby bump and feels the faint vibration of one of her daughters kicking. "It'll be nice to have some more estrogen around here, that's for sure."

The children finish dinner and shuffle back into the playroom. Kaldur switches places with Zatanna and helps Artemis clean up the kitchen while the magician keeps an eye on the kids. They join her when the dishes are done.

That is when things start to go south. Ella and Marie grow bored of their movie. The girls toddle over to Kaldur and begin to demand his attention. Kaldur has always fascinated the kids of the other League members. He is always full of stories about growing up in Atlantis. The girls want to hear one.

This wouldn't be a bad thing if it weren't for the fact that Marie accidentally knocks down CJ's tower of blocks. With a glare that would make his namesake proud, the youngest West son hurls a block marked with a "K" at Marie's head. She instantly bursts into tears.

"Conner James West, you say you're sorry right now," Artemis scolds as she hoists herself up from the couch. "Do you want to go to bed while all of your friends get to stay up and have fun?"

The little boy shakes his head. "But Mommy, she knocked my blocks down," CJ wails. "It's not fair."

"It was an accident," Artemis says to her son as she bends down to his level. "You know better, CJ."

The blond boy sulks and he looks exactly like Wally. The archer hides a smile. She gives him a nudge towards Marie, who still wails even as Kaldur attempts to soothe her. Artemis hears a mumbled apology. Marie stops crying, but she sniffles a bit.

Unfortunately, Marie's crying has set off the other babies. Olivia opens her bright blue eyes and sees that neither of her parents is standing near her. Her little face turns red and she starts to cry. Artemis hoists herself up again and reaches into the car seat for the sobbing infant. The archer rocks the girl and rubs circles on her back.

Amistad, who is usually a calm baby, begins to howl as well. Aquaman gets up from his spot and plucks his child from the playpen. He murmurs to the boy in Atlantean and gradually the child stops his tears.

"I know why he's crying," Zatanna says when her son pipes up as well. "He's hungry."

Artemis nods at the magician and looks at the kids. "Who wants a cookie?"

Richie is the first one into the kitchen. The other kids follow closely, as do Artemis and Kaldur. The archer pulls down the cookie jar and doles chocolate chip cookies out to each child. Kaldur pours glasses of milk.

The youngsters chatter amongst themselves as they eat their snacks. Artemis notices that Cal sneaks one of CJ's cookies and she replaces it before the youngest West boy notices. The last thing the archer wants is to have to break up a fight between her sons.

She thinks about the way CJ acted when his blocks were knocked over and realizes that the youngest child has been acting up more and more as of late. She makes a note to address this. He's much too young to be so moody.

When the cookies are gone, the archer herds the youths into the playroom once more. She puts on a new movie and everyone settles in to watch. An hour and a half later when it ends, the three adults can see the sleepiness on the little faces.

There is a round of protesting when bedtime is announced, but it is halfhearted at best. The kiddos put on their pajamas and brush their teeth. There are hugs and kisses exchanged as the little ones are tucked into bed and lights are turned off.

The three babies lay asleep in the playpen. The house is quiet without the cacophony of little voices as they play and laugh. Artemis needs a distraction. She settles in at the kitchen table with the baby name book. The reporter has had her name for the new baby picked out for weeks, but she's trying to guess what Wally may have decided on. Zatanna joins her in the guessing game. It soon evolves from serious guesses to trying to come up with the most ridiculous name combinations they can think of.

It works for awhile. When Artemis suggests "Tangerine", everyone laughs so hard that it's hard to breathe for a moment. And then the silence kicks in and the three adults wish they had heard from someone to see how the Justice League's mission is going. The Atlantean lets out a quiet sigh and gets up to make tea.

"Batman did say they were to maintain radio silence," Kaldur says as he waits for the tea to be ready.

"If something had really gone wrong, I know we would have heard something by now," Zatanna adds as she puts her hand on top of Artemis's. "I'm sure they're all fine and we'll see them soon."

She knows her friends are trying to help. She knows that and appreciates it. But her husband is currently on a spacecraft guarding a bunch of intergalactic criminals as they are transported to another prison. Artemis feels it's perfectly within reason for her to be scared and worried.

The hour grows closer to midnight. Zatanna thumbs through the name book but no one is really interested anymore. The archer wanders into the playroom and tidies up the scattered couch pillows and puts the toys back in the toy box. It's a small distraction that doesn't take nearly long enough to complete for the archer's tastes. She sinks onto the couch and remembers all the times she has watched Wally play with their children from this very spot. The idea that it may never happen again is too much for Artemis.

Zatanna comes in and puts her arms around the archer's shoulders. "He's fine," the dark haired woman murmurs. "Everyone is fine. It's normal to be worried. He's your husband and the father of your children. I'd be concerned if you _weren't_ worried."

Artemis wipes her face with the back of her hand. "It's just hormones," she says. "You know I don't cry." The magician nods and Artemis continues. "I'm going to check on the kids."

"That's a good idea," Zatanna replies. "I'll go with you." She smiles. "Five bucks says Ella and Marie are playing instead of sleeping."

The reporter gives a shaky smile of her own in return. She climbs the stairs to the second floor and pushes open the door to Richie's room. Lian lays asleep with nearly all of her blankets kicked off. Artemis drapes the covers over the girl once more before kissing her niece's forehead.

Zatanna is indeed right. Marie and Ella are in the process of pulling down all of the books from Cal's bookshelf. "Girls, what are you doing?" the magician scolds. "Pick these up right now." She turns to Artemis. "We have to separate the girls or they'll never get to sleep."

Artemis nods. As the magician supervises the girls, she goes into CJ's room and lifts the boy from his bed. He opens his eyes and looks confused. "It's okay, CJ," she murmurs. "You're going to go sleep in my room with your brothers." The archer pads down the hallway to her room and lays CJ down beside Richie. "Goodnight, guys. Mommy loves you all so much."

The archer and magician rejoin Kaldur in the kitchen. They sit in silence for awhile. The hour creeps even closer to midnight but no one thinks of attempting to sleep. "Getting left behind sucks."

Zatanna and Kaldur bob their heads in agreement. Then, suddenly, there's a knock at the back door. Artemis goes to look and finds a battered and bruised pair of Queens standing before her. She pulls the door open immediately.

"The prisoners rioted," Ollie spits as he steps inside. "It was a total mess. We don't know if there were any casualties on our side yet. We didn't wait for clearance."

Dinah pushes past her husband and makes a beeline for the playpen where her daughter sleeps. She presses her daughter close and strokes the girl's soft golden hair. Ollie joins them and Artemis can't help but feel a twinge of jealousy that their family has been reunited and hers has not.

Gradually, the other League members return. Roy comes in after the Queens arrive. He goes upstairs to check on his daughter and sits silently when he returns.

Dick and Raquel come in together. Zatanna all but throws herself into her husband's arms. Raquel pulls Kaldur in for a smooch as well. They have a little more information to share, but there is still no word about Wally.

The Kents arrive with the news that the prisoners have been locked up again and delivered to the prison as promised. They haven't seen Wally either, and as far as they know, no one has heard from him. Artemis is pretty sure her blood runs cold. She sinks down into a kitchen chair.

She feels a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes lock on the figure of her former mentor. "If anything has happened to Wally, you can count on Dinah and me for whatever you need."

"Ollie!" Dinah exclaims. "He's not dead yet. You're making Artemis worry." Black Canary elbows her husband in the ribs.

"It's okay," the younger woman says. "I appreciate that, Ollie. I do. But even if Wally's not coming back, I've taken too much from you over the years. I couldn't accept anything else."

The clock strikes one a.m. and then two a.m. No one goes home. It would be so easy for her friends to collect their sleeping children and go home to their own beds. Instead, they pile together on couches and chairs and rally around the reporter in a show of solidarity. Under any other circumstances, Artemis would be touched. For the moment, all she can think about is wanting to see Wally's familiar mop of red hair and wanting to hear the sound of his laugh.

Finally, the front door creaks. Everyone topples into the front room to see what's going on.

Wally is there.

He ignores everyone. He sets his eyes on Artemis and travels to her and her alone. The Flash pulls his wife in for a deep kiss. They don't pull apart even after Ollie clears his throat and Dick starts wolf whistling.

When they do end the kiss, Artemis buries her face in his shoulder. Wally's arms stay looped around her waist. "Thanks for staying, everyone," he says. "You're welcome to stay here tonight because it's so late. Everyone who stays will be treated to breakfast in the morning, courtesy of the Queens. In the meantime, don't bother us."

Ollie protests Wally's claim and in the chaos of the argument that ensues, Wally leads his wife upstairs. Lightning bounds joyfully up the staircase beside her masters. "You are in so much trouble," Artemis informs him. "When these kids of yours come out, you are sitting out the next ten missions."

"I have a good explanation," Wally begins.

"Save it."

"Artemis…"

"Keep talking and it will be the next twenty-five missions."

By now, they have reached the landing. The speedster pulls her in close again. "You drive a hard bargain," he murmurs. He kisses the top of her head. "I'm sorry that I scared you." Wally releases her waist and takes her hand. He tugs her down towards their room.

"The boys are in there."

"Good," Wally says. "It's been a very long night and I just want to be with my family." He twists the knob and enters the room.

Artemis helps Wally clean away the dried blood and attempts to run her hands along his body to see if anything has been broken. He catches her by the wrists. "I promise that I didn't break anything," the redhead says.

At long last, the pair of heroes pile in their bed. The boys are taking up most of the space, but Wally shifts them over a bit so they all fit together. Artemis buries her face in his chest and closes her eyes. Wally's hold on his wife tightens. He strokes her hair. "Victoria," she mumbles.

"For the baby?" Wally asks. The archer nods against him. He smiles even though she can't see him. "That's pretty. I decided on Abigail."

"Abigail," Artemis repeats. "Perfect."

"Go to sleep, Artemis."

Everything is perfect, Wally thinks as he closes his eyes. Just perfect.


	10. Chapter 10

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_A/N: I usually try to alternate between who "tells" each chapter and technically it was Wally's turn. But I just couldn't get him to come out, so it's mostly from Artemis's perspective. This is a shorter chapter as well. The next one will be a doozy though._

_After this chapter, there will be larger time skips. For example, in the next chapter, the twins will be 4, CJ will be 7, Cal will be 9 and Richie will be 10. I will try to remember to include the ages of each kid who appears from now on to give a better idea of when the events are taking place._

_In other news, I am now shamelessly plugging another fic of mine, "_Acceptance."_ If you like Arrow family fluff, feel free to check it out._

**The Wests**

The West parents are exhausted. It seems to them that neither of the girls have stopped crying since they were brought home from the hospital. The boys, particularly CJ, haven't taken well to the new arrivals. All in all, there have been a lot of tears as of late.

It is something of a miracle when the girls cry themselves to sleep by seven o'clock one night. The older members of the family eat a quiet dinner in hopes that the babies won't wake up and start wailing again. Then Wally checks over Richie and Cal's homework as the reporter tries to get CJ ready for bed.

The youngest West son has been very difficult lately. Wally has been concerned about CJ's behavior, but between his job and being the Flash and trying to help Artemis find ways to soothe their daughters, he hasn't had much time to get to the root of the problem.

"I don't want to go to bed," the little boy insists. "_They_ don't have to," he adds darkly. CJ points at his older brothers, who are racing through the house in tiny blurs now that they've finished their work.

Wally exchanges a look with Artemis. It makes sense now. CJ has been acting out because he's not fast like his brothers are. Combined with the fact that he's not the baby of the family anymore, it's no wonder he hasn't been himself as of late.

"Guys, cut it out," Wally instructs. The older boys skid into stops. They are not the most graceful of creatures and they topple over one another as they stop. They both laugh, and Richie tugs his brother up from the floor. "What have Mommy and I told you about using your speed in the house?"

"We aren't supposed to use it in the house," they chorus together. "Could we use it if CJ was fast like us?" Cal adds. "It would be fun!"

Artemis shakes her head firmly. "Absolutely not. That's why we have a backyard." She scoops CJ up into her arms and carries him upstairs to bed. "Tomorrow, you and I are going to do something really fun and special. Just you and me," she promises the boy. "Won't that be fun, CJ?"

He nods, but he's still sullen. He looks just like Wally when he's upset. Artemis hides a smile and pecks her son on the cheek. "How come I'm not fast like Daddy and my brothers?" CJ asks quietly.

"I don't know," she replies. "But I'm not fast, either. Someone has to be like me, right?"

CJ thinks for a moment. "Do I get to shoot arrows like you and Uncle Roy and Grandpa Ollie?" he questions finally. "I could be real good at that, right?"

She ruffles her son's hair and pulls the blankets over him. "We'll see. Goodnight, CJ. Sweet dreams." Artemis unfolds herself from her perch and crosses the room. She switches the lights off and is reaching for the doorknob when her youngest son's little voice pipes up again.

"You and Daddy don't love the babies more than me, do you?"

The blonde woman flips the light back on and goes back to her son's side. She folds the little boy into a hug and smoothes her hand over his tousled blond hair. "Of course we don't love the babies more than you, CJ. We could never love one of you more than the others."

He looks convinced and he nods. "Okay, Mommy," he says. "Night, night."

"Night, night," Artemis replies.

She leaves the room and finds Wally on the middle of the staircase. He is bouncing each of the older boys up the steps. It's a game he plays with them frequently. The redhead catches her eye and winks. Then he looks at his wife more seriously and jerks his head towards CJ's room. She looks at him grimly and shakes her head.

Artemis disappears down the hallway to the master bedroom. Wally frowns at the fact that things apparently did not go well with his youngest son. Then he looks at the two speedsters-in-training who are clamoring for his attention. He manages a smile and finishes the game. He supervises face washing and teeth brushing and herds them into their separate rooms.

When they are tucked in and all the lights are off, he makes his way to Artemis. She still looks upset as she thumbs through CJ's baby book. Artemis has kept careful records of each child's milestones as they occur. Her parents weren't the type to keep mementos, so it's important to the archer to have those things for her own children. She wears a sad smile as she fingers the plastic hospital bracelet with CJ's name on it.

"He thinks we don't love him as much as the other kids," Artemis chokes out. She shakes her head and Wally sees a lone tear trickle down her cheek. "My baby thinks I don't love him."

Wally is at her side in an instant. He wraps her in a bear hug and holds her tightly. "I've been worried about him too," he admits. "He's not the baby anymore and he's not like his brothers. That's enough to make any kid act out a little. What do you think we should do about him?"

The archer shrugs helplessly. "I don't know. It shouldn't be like this. He's not even four years old yet. It's the middle kid who always ends up crazy, isn't it? Maybe this is how it starts."

The hero frowns at his wife's words. "So you think he should talk to a professional?"

She pulls away from his embrace. Artemis's stormy gray eyes flash dangerously. "There's nothing wrong with our son, Wally. He doesn't need to see a shrink. We will figure this out on our own. As a _family_." Her tone is firm and the speedster knows it's useless to argue.

But even though he knows it's futile to protest Artemis's edict, her comment nags at him. He definitely doesn't want his son to feel unloved, and he doesn't want to see CJ become a "crazy" middle child. Some extra attention may be in order and Wally sincerely hopes that's the case. But if it's not enough…

"If we can't turn his behavior around by ourselves, we have to consider talking to a professional," Wally speaks up. His tone is just as forceful as the blonde woman's. When Artemis makes a decision about their kids, he rarely argues with her. Her motherly instincts are top notch and she usually turns out to be correct. But this is a serious matter. He has just as much say as Artemis does.

She looks down at the hospital bracelet again. She takes in all the information printed neatly on the plastic and thinks of her son's sweet little face. "You're right," she says finally. "I hope it doesn't come to that, but if it does, we'll need to do what's best for him."

Wally pulls her close again. He presses his lips against her forehead. "Where should we start?"

"I told him that tomorrow we'd do something fun together," the reporter tells him. "I thought I might start teaching him archery."

The Flash frowns. His eyebrows knit together. "Why do I think it's a terrible idea to give our _toddler_ son a bow and arrow? Especially after the way he's been acting; are you sure this isn't going to end in disaster?"

Artemis sighs deeply. "I don't know how it's going to turn out Wally," she says tiredly. "He asked why he wasn't fast and I said I wasn't a meta, either. Then he asked if he could shoot arrows like me. What was I supposed to tell him?"

Wally has to admit that his archer wife _might_ have a point. He's sure it must be hard for CJ to be the only non-meta of the West brothers. It makes sense that he would look to archery to be like his mother. But he's not sure giving CJ sharp, dangerous objects is the best move they can make.

"I'm sure Ollie has some kind of rubber tipped arrows," the blonde adds. "I don't think he's ready for the real thing at the age of three. And he might not even like it. But I think after everything, I should at least let him _try._"

The scientist is quiet for a long time. "I know you'd never let anything happen to him," Wally says eventually. "That's the main thing I would worry about, especially because he's so young. But if you're with him, then I'm fine with it."

Artemis nods. "I'll make him be careful."

The Wests stretch out on their bed. The house is quiet and still; everyone is peaceful. It's a rare occurrence. Wally enjoys it for awhile before something dawns on him. He chuckles lightly and looks down at Artemis, who is lying with her head on his chest. "If he sticks with archery, he's probably going to be really good."

"Of course he is," Artemis replies. "He's got me for a mother and a teacher."

"I know," Wally answers, "but I meant he already has good aim. Didn't you tell me he pegged Marie with a block from halfway across the room? That's really impressive for a toddler."

The reporter bobs her head. "Natural ability," she tells her husband. "It'll be interesting to see what happens, that's for sure." She smiles. "And it'll be nice to have another non-meta around here. I was starting to think I would be the only one."

Wally smiles slightly and runs his fingers through her soft blonde locks. "Well, at least we'll only have to worry about feeding two teenage speedsters instead of three," he says. "I know my mom thought that feeding me was the biggest challenge of having a speedster son."

The heroine makes a face. "That's because you eat like a pig." There's a fondness in his wife's tone and the redhead knows she's just ribbing him a little. "Besides, we don't know if the girls will be speedsters yet," she points out.

"Shh, don't say 'girls'," Wally says in a stage whisper. "They'll wake up and start crying again."

"You are ridiculous," Artemis says, exasperated. But he gives her a big grin and she feels the corners of her mouth turn up despite herself. She adds, "And I love you for it."

0o0o0o0

As promised, Artemis spends the next day with CJ. It's been a mild winter so far and there's no snow on the ground. Artemis takes advantage of this and sets up a little shooting range in the backyard. She gives him a toy bow and arrows that have suction cups at the end instead of tips. It's the best way she can think of to make sure the boy doesn't injure himself.

Being only three, CJ isn't too steady yet as he tries to aim. Artemis places her hands over her son's and shows him the best way to grip the bow. Then she lets go and has him show her that he knows how to do it on his own. He puzzles over it for a moment, but she can see he's got it figured out when he gives her a big smile. CJ holds it up triumphantly. The heroine praises him.

"Let's try shooting now," she says when he's done celebrating his small victory. She straps the little quiver over his shoulders and mimes reaching into it for an arrow. CJ copies her exactly and fits it against the string on his bow. "Just try to hit the tree, okay?"

The little boy wears a look of deep concentration. He releases the string like she instructed, and the arrow soars in a wobbly arc. It does not hit the oak tree, but it lands close by. It's a good first shot for a toddler. CJ frowns and looks up at his mother. "I want to try again," he tells her.

It takes him a good ten tries before he lands a solid stick to the trunk of the oak tree. When he does accomplish it, his face splits into two, divided by a huge grin. "I did it!"

"You did," Artemis agrees. She ruffles his hair again and takes in his pink cheeks and how the tip of his nose is red. The day is growing colder. "Time to come inside now, CJ," she tells the youngest boy. "We can have hot chocolate."

She makes him hot chocolate just the way he likes it, with mini marshmallows and a pinch of cinnamon. She nods encouragingly as he recounts each shot in vivid detail. Artemis remembers the play-by-plays she gave Green Arrow when she was a sidekick and she understands the proud expression he always wore when they fought side by side. The archer smiles to herself.

The rest of the afternoon passes in a blur. Artemis gets ready for work. Wally arrives home with the older boys and the twins. CJ tells the rest of the family all about his archery practice. Everyone who is old enough to understand is impressed and CJ is in his element. He is the center of attention. Artemis catches Wally's eyes.

Her grin is smug. He can practically hear her say, _'I told you so.'_


	11. Chapter 11

.

_A/N: I am so sorry that it's been so long. I have had to balance school, two jobs, starting a new fitness regimen and trying to have a life all at once. Plus I unfortunately had my phone stolen, so I had to deal with that as well. I am hopeful that life will calm down soon though. There's plenty more to the Wests' story to come, don't worry._

_As promised, the ages of each child so it's easier to keep track. Richie: 10; Cal: 9; CJ: 7: Abbey and Tori: 4. Ella Grayson: 7.5; Gio Grayson: 4.5. Marie Kent: 7.5; Carly Kent: 2. Amistad: 5. Carly's full name is Caroline, which is why Wally calls her Sweet Caroline. Yes, like the Neil Diamond song. I do not own that, either._

**The Wests**

It's a beautiful day in Central City. The sun shines, birds chirp, all that jazz. The West family decides to spend the day at the park. Artemis packs a gigantic picnic lunch as the kids gather up various toys and sporting equipment.

Naturally, it takes forever to get everyone packed up and ready to go. Having five children means they never arrive anywhere on time and that there is _always_ laundry to be done. Artemis tries not to think about the laundry.

Still, as she watches Richie hook Lightning to her leash and sees Wally slather sun block on the girls' pale skin, the archer likes the chaos of her big family. She knows she'd never trade them for anything. She knows she'd do anything for them.

The three speedster children race out to the van. Abbey protests when she loses. Richie gives her braid a gentle tug. "Next time, little sis," he tells her. He helps her into her car seat and carefully buckles her in. When Tori reaches the van, Richie repeats the process.

Wally takes her hand as they stroll after their children. "He's quite the helper, isn't he?" the oldest speedster comments.

"He is," Artemis agrees. "Unlike some people I could mention." Wally scowls and Artemis grins. She looks back at her oldest son and feels a surge of pride. "He's a good big brother. The other kids are lucky to have him."

She's thinking about her troubled relationship with her own sister. She knows Wally can tell this is what's bothering her by the way he squeezes her hand. "Babe," he says simply, "It's not like that with our kids. It's not everyone for themselves."

The reporter takes a deep breath. "I know that," she replies as she locks gazes with her husband. "I just wish things had been different with Jade and me. That's all."

The redhead nods. He opens the passenger side door for her and she clambers in. She twists in her seat to check on the children as Wally comes around to the driver's side. The twins are strapped into their car seats and the boys are buckled in as well. Cal clutches Lightning's leash tightly.

"I think we're good to go," the heroine announces when Wally joins the rest of the family. Lightning barks once as if she's agreeing with Artemis's statement.

Wally turns the key in the ignition. Artemis changes the radio to a family friendly station and Abbey and Tori start singing along the best they can. It's pretty cute, Artemis thinks, especially because her daughters only know about half of the words.

The family lucks out. The kids' favorite park is mostly empty and it looks like they'll have the place to themselves. The only other people Artemis can see are a pair of joggers rounding the path at the opposite end of the park. They'll be gone soon.

Everyone helps unload the van. The twins spread out the picnic blanket under a tree while the boys lug the cooler over to the spot their sisters have picked. Wally grabs the basketball and CJ's archery gear. Artemis takes Lightning's leash and allows her to sniff a couple of trees. She knows the dog will calm down once everyone is seated and eating.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, granola bars, and juice boxes are distributed. Naturally, the speedsters eat two sandwiches each as well as most of the granola bars. Artemis is merely grateful that only three of the children are speedsters. She has no idea what she would do if CJ and Tori had inherited the gene as well. She is happy to have two little archers.

After lunch, the family breaks up. Richie and Cal play basketball. Wally pushes Tori on the swings. CJ picks out a tree to use for target practice. Abbey dances away with her doll. She settles in under the slide to make a castle from the wet sand. Artemis sits with Lightning on the picnic blanket and takes it all in.

Cal is not quite the whirlwind he was when he was a toddler. At nine, he is the most studious of the children and is not as adept at games anymore. He has Wally's love for science, though. And he's still willing to try, at least. He looks up at the backboard, deep in concentration. The middle boy takes another shot and misses spectacularly.

"It's okay!" the archer hears her oldest son call. "You're over thinking it, Cal," Richie says. He has already retrieved the ball. He motions for his brother to stand aside and takes his place when Cal moves. Richie shoots the ball and makes a basket easily. "Don't think, just do."

He's a good teacher and a good brother. Richie carefully coaches his sibling until Cal makes five baskets in a row. The younger boy grins and thanks him. Artemis smiles at the sight of her boys doing something so _normal._

Abbey comes back over to her mother. Her hair is now loose and she holds her hair tie in one small hand. "My braid came out, Mommy," the little girl says. "Fix it?"

The heroine nods. Her daughter settles in between her legs and chatters about her fairy princess doll as Artemis deftly works her way through Abbey's vivid red hair. She is finished before Abbey finishes telling her all the doll's little details. But Artemis doesn't mind Abbey's enthusiasm for her toy and doesn't try to brush her daughter off.

The youngest daughter decides for herself when she is ready to play again. "Push me on the swings, Daddy!" the littlest speedster requests as she picks a path through the sandbox to where her father and twin play. Wally swings the girl up into his arms. She shrieks in delight. Abbey is her daddy's little girl through and through.

It's all so peaceful and nice that Artemis later thinks she should have known it was too good to be true.

It starts with Lightning letting out a long, low whine in the back of her throat. When Artemis hears it, her gray eyes immediately lock on the faces of each West child. No one seems to be in any danger of injuring themselves, so she is content to let it go. She pats the dog's head in a reassuring way.

But as the afternoon goes on, Lightning keeps up her whining. Artemis knows the dog's instincts are much sharper than her own, so she keeps watching the kids anxiously for signs that something is going to go wrong. If she can prevent a trip to the hospital, she feels she's done a successful job of being a mother for the day.

The archer feels a cold prickle on the back of her neck. Lightning's whine deepens to a growl. Artemis stands in an attempt to get a better vantage point of the park. What she sees sends a chill down her spine.

Her father is standing at the opposite end of the park. His face wears the same evil smirk she remembers. She hadn't even known he was out of jail. The thought that he has tracked her down makes her sick to her stomach.

The thought of the demented man she calls father near her children, however, sends her hurtling into mama bear mode. She'll be damned if she's going to let Lawrence Crock near her babies.

Artemis forces herself to take a deep breath. She clips the leash to Lightning's collar. Then she packs up the remnants of the family picnic and makes her way over to Wally. The twins are still laughing as he pushes them on the swings. She can tell by Wally's face that he's enjoying himself as much as they are.

"Time to go, guys," Artemis announces. The forced even tone makes Wally suspicious immediately. He frowns at her and looks like he might protest. Artemis adds, "Look over by the jogging route, Wally. That's why we have to go."

The speedster's green gaze lands on the hulking figure of his father-in-law. He swears under his breath. Wally grabs hold of the swings' chains, effectively stopping their daughters' arcs. "Not fair!" Tori cries. "I want to play more."

Wally plucks the girls from their seats and presses a kiss to each of their foreheads. "Sorry, kiddo. Mommy's right; it's time to go home now. We can play tomorrow." He carries them out to the van and speeds back to Artemis to take the supplies.

She rounds up the boys. Cal fights her a little ("I was just getting the hang of it!") but Richie knows something is wrong. "Come on, Cal," the blond boy says. He puts his hand on his brother's shoulder. A look passes between the two boys and Cal reluctantly tucks the ball under his arm. The older boys stop to help CJ gather all his arrows. Artemis urges them on. She hates the panicking feeling that wants to come over her, but she won't breathe easily until the youngsters are safe.

Everyone is in the car when Artemis reaches the door. She glances over her shoulder to where her father stands. His smirk slowly stretches even further across his face. She shudders and climbs into the van. When she looks back at the kids as they drive away, she notices Richie is staring hard at the figure of his grandfather as if trying to place him. It makes Artemis nervous.

Abbey suddenly starts to cry. "Go back. I left my dolly. I _need_ her." Her lower lip quivers and alligator tears splash down her freckled face. Artemis clenches her jaw. She hates the sound of her daughter's cries, but she can't let Abbey go back to the playground.

"We could go back," Wally mutters to her. Abbey lets out a particularly loud sob. The Flash winces at the sound of it. "I could grab the doll for her."

"No!" She hadn't meant for the word to come out as a shout, but she's still panicked. She can't help it. "No," Artemis repeats more calmly. The archer finds a package of tissues in the glove box and hands them back to CJ, who is sitting the closest to Abbey. "Wipe your sister's face, please," she tells the boy. "Abbey, sweetie, Mommy will get you a new doll. We just can't go back. That man is a very bad man."

Wally grips the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turn white. "You're _scaring_ them," the redhead hisses at his wife.

Artemis's first thought is, _'Better that they're scared than abducted or killed.'_ She finds it wiser not to voice this particular opinion. The reporter takes another deep breath to calm herself. "Everything is okay, guys," she tells the youths. Abbey sniffles. Artemis can still see tears glistening in the girl's storm gray eyes.

The heroine is surprised when Wally turns onto their street. "What are you doing?" she demands. She attempts to say it so that the children won't hear, but she knows her oldest son's ears are particularly sharp. He has probably picked it up.

"I'm taking our children home, Artemis," the Flash explains patiently. "They're obviously frightened. It's best that they be in a familiar place while we figure things out."

Artemis feels this is an incredibly stupid thing to do. "If he knew how to find us at the park, don't you think he knows where we live? I can't have him coming after us at home, Wally. We have neighbors." Another thought comes to her. "If he can't get to us, he might try to go after your parents or Aunt Iris…"

Wally takes one hand off of the steering wheel and grips hers tight. "He'll never touch them, Artemis. I promise." The speedster turns smoothly into the driveway, parks the van, and begins to unload the picnic supplies. Artemis takes a head count as the children shuffle into the house.

If she had her way, the archer would barricade her family somewhere safe before going to hunt down her father. It's not going to be that way though. She can tell. Wally puts on a movie for the kids and instructs Richie and Cal to keep an eye on the younger kids. Then he starts calling various League members. Artemis methodically closes the blinds and the curtains and checks the locks on the doors. She tries to think of a good plan of action if her father decides to put in another sudden appearance.

It becomes apparent that Wally has some kind of plan when their friends show up. He has called the people they are closest to: the Graysons, the Kents, and the Ervins. Not only are they close friends, but all are parents as well. People who will defend the West children as if they are family.

The Kents are the first to arrive. Megan embraces Artemis. "Everything is going to be fine," the Martian says kindly. "We'll figure something out."

Little Carly squirms out of her father's arms. She heads straight to Wally. The youngest Kent child adores him. "Hey, Sweet Caroline," he greets the toddler as she demands his attention. The Flash looks at the couple. "Thanks for coming."

The Graysons come in then, followed by Raquel and Kaldur. "Tell us exactly what happened and we will discuss what to do next," the Atlantean says. The air of quiet leadership returns to Kaldur's voice. It's almost like old times, only for the Wests, the stakes are much higher.

"First we should make sure all the little ears are out of the room," Zatanna pipes up. She takes Gio by the hand and leads him into the playroom with the other children. The adults make sure everyone is settled before asking the door. A stern warning is given to Marie not to use her hearing to eavesdrop on the adults' conversation.

The adults form a ring around the kitchen table. Artemis relays the day's events. "He didn't even try to approach us," the archer reports. "But he's obviously up to no good if he's here. I just can't let him do anything to my kids." Her voice catches in her throat at the last part. Wally squeezes her hand.

"What do you want us to do?" Dick asks. "Whatever you guys need, we're here for you."

The Flash opens his mouth to speak but Artemis interrupts. "I just want to know the kids are alright. Then I want to hunt him down and make sure he never comes near me or my family ever again."

There is no mistaking the meaning of the heroine's words. Frowns crease into her friends' faces. Wally looks disappointed in her. The League tries not to kill except in extreme circumstances. Artemis doesn't care about the rule at the moment.

It is Megan who speaks up first. "What if we take the children for the night? Then if Sportsmaster shows up, at least they won't be in harm's way while you do what you need to do." The Martian's voice is careful, as if afraid of setting Artemis off further.

"We would be happy to take the kids," Zatanna adds. "There's plenty of room. They would be safe with us."

Artemis has to admit that her friends have a point. If something has to go down between her and her father, she prefers to do it where the kids can't see, hear, or be involved in any way. If Sportsmaster shows up and the kids are elsewhere, she knows she'll be able to concentrate better. It's a good choice, one the blonde heroine can live with.

Wally answers for her. "That's perfect," he tells the magician. "They'll love that. I'll have them start packing their bags." He leans over to kiss Artemis's cheek and stands up from the table. He crosses the kitchen to the playroom and announces a sleepover at the Graysons' house.

Instantly, the children erupt into a flurry of activity. Abbey scurries over to Artemis and asks after the location of her pajamas with the unicorns. CJ demands to know if he's allowed to bring his archery gear.

"It's not like you can hit anything," Marie scoffs. Ella giggles at her best friend's taunt.

CJ glares. "I hit _you_, didn't I?" he retorts. Marie's face flushes and CJ traipses away smugly.

Though Artemis is worried about her father and whatever his motivations may be, she still manages a smile at the kids' antics. She sees a lot of herself in her youngest son. He has the same desire to prove himself.

She notices Richie is staring at her. "Don't you want to go get ready?" the archer asks. Richie's gaze is making her uncomfortable.

"I will. But I want to know what's going on." The demanding tone to his voice makes him sound like Wally.

"You're going to see Uncle Dick and Aunt Zee," Artemis says. "That's _all_."

He frowns. "It's more than that. And I'm going to find out what."


	12. Chapter 12

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_A/N: This was a really hard chapter to write. I feel like Wally wouldn't be happy about Artemis wanting to get rid of Sportsmaster but would be torn about what to do. He goes back and forth a lot in his head as he tries to figure out what to think. After all, he doesn't really have a point of comparison to how Artemis feels about her father. YJ canon has Wally and his parents as a happy family. I hope it doesn't come off as too redundant._

_That's the real first line from _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland._ Or part of it, anyway. I don't own that, either._

_Richie: 10; Cal: 9; CJ: 7: Abbey and Tori: 4._

**The Wests**

He finds her standing guard on the roof. More accurately, she is sitting in full uniform with her bow drawn. She looks exhausted, and for good reason. It has been a long day.

"Hey," Wally greets his wife. She turns to look at him and acknowledges him with a nod. The speedster sits down beside her.

"I'm not going inside, Wally," Artemis tells him. He can practically hear the stubbornness in her tone. He tries not to smile.

Wally presses the Thermos he has brought with him into his wife's hands. "I wasn't going to ask you to come inside. I just thought you might want some coffee and some company." Artemis smiles and unscrews the lid. She takes a big gulp of coffee. When she swallows the scientist puts his arm around her shoulders.

Eventually, the archer heaves a sigh. She looks at him once more. "I'm not crazy," the blonde says.

"I never said you were," Wally assures. "You're just being a mom. I know seeing your dad freaked you out a little. It's understandable. Who knows, maybe you reacted in just the right ways to keep anything from happening."

Artemis looks grateful for this particular insight. She nods slowly, as if musing. "I hope so. Have you heard from the Graysons since they left?"

"Zatanna called awhile ago. She said everything is fine and the kids are having a blast. There's nothing to worry about on that end." Wally looks his wife over carefully. "Do you really think your father's going to show up now? We saw him hours ago and haven't heard anything since."

The heroine shrugs. "I don't know," she replies. He can hear the helplessness in his wife's voice. Artemis's goal was only to keep her family safe. Wally certainly does not want his wife to doubt her motivations, because they are good ones.

The Flash takes the Thermos from his wife and sets it aside. He carefully draws her into his arms and tucks her head under his chin. He wants to comfort her in any way that he can. "You are a _great_ mom," Wally whispers into Artemis's hair. "Outstanding, even. You have nothing to worry about. He'll never touch them."

"I know, Wally. I just…it's my worst nightmare. He wouldn't hesitate to hurt the kids if he could get to them. I'm sure of it. And he showed up out of the blue…"

She leans against him heavily. He can feel her slump a little bit. Despite her protests, Wally knows his wife is exhausted. She's going to fall asleep out here if he doesn't bring her inside.

Artemis is apparently comfortable being snuggled in his arms. She rests her forehead against his shoulder and mumbles, "I'm worried about Richie. He knows something is wrong. He's a smart kid. And I'm sure he's told Cal whatever he suspects. You know how close they are."

Wally runs his fingers through Artemis's silky golden locks. "Would it be so bad if the kids knew? It might help them understand to stay away from him. And I don't think we should lie."

"I'm not ready for that," Artemis says immediately. "It's too hard to talk about, and they're all so young…do they really need to know right now?"

He presses a kiss to the top of her head. "Hey, this is your call," he tells the archer. "It's your father. I just want to say that I vote we not keep secrets from our children."

The blonde doesn't answer him. She slumps against him even more and the scientist realizes his wife has fallen asleep.

Wally lifts her into his arms and maneuvers them into the house via the open bedroom window. He sets her down on their bed. Artemis stirs and opens her eyes. Her face arranges itself in a scowl. "I can't go to sleep, Wally. I have to watch for Sportsmaster."

Her speech is somewhat slurred. It takes a moment for him to decipher Artemis's words. When Wally realizes what his wife is trying to say, he merely tucks the blankets over her. "I'll keep watch, Artemis," he assures the heroine.

She rolls over and mumbles something that he doesn't catch. Wally sighs. He reaches down to his wife's sleeping figure and gently pulls the cowl off of her face. The absence of a mask makes Artemis seem more peaceful, softens her. It makes Wally want to protect her, which is something she almost never needs him to do.

True to his word, Wally takes his wife's place on the roof. He drains the coffee in an effort to stay awake. The Flash waits all night for a confrontation that never comes.

0o0o0o0

The kids come home the next day. The youths are in good spirits, though Wally notices Richie is kind of quiet. The redhead wonders what, if anything, his oldest son has discovered.

When the kids are dropped off by Nightwing, Dick promises to let them know of any reports that come in about Sportsmaster. Artemis thanks the younger man. The grim expression on his wife's face worries the speedster. He remembers the way Artemis wanted to go after her father. There's no mistaking what the archer's intentions had been. Needless to say, Wally is not happy.

Artemis seems to be spending more time with the kids. It's like every time he looks at her, she's got a tiny hand entwined with her own, or she's helping CJ with his archery or looking over homework. And it's not as if she didn't do those things before; she did. She's a good mom. But he has definitely noticed the heroine has been even more devoted to the youngsters as of late.

Wally spends a lot of extra time running patrols through Central City and Keystone City. He is searching for any signs of Sportsmaster. The scientist doesn't see anything too out of the ordinary. The Flash knows that whatever Sportsmaster is up to, he is biding him time about it.

He comes home one night to a report about his father-in-law's location. Dick tells the Wests that Lawrence has been spotted in Steel City. Artemis thanks him and goes to suit up. The fierce, determined look on his wife's features is a familiar one to Wally. He doesn't like what it means.

Artemis is busy getting ready. She's somehow already in uniform. Her quiver is packed full of different types of arrows. She's got a list of zeta tube codes in one hand that she's reading off of. "0531," she murmurs. It must be one of the codes for Steel City.

The blonde archer focuses her attention on him. "I won't be gone long," Artemis informs him. "This should go without saying, but don't tell the kids what I'm doing. I don't want them to know."

His eyes narrow. "And what exactly do you plan on doing?" Wally asks his wife. It's a rhetorical question; he knows Artemis intends to kill her father. Needless to say, Artemis's decision makes him sad. Wally has tried to understand where his wife is coming from, but he finds he just can't. He was raised a lot differently than Artemis was and can't imagine needing to protect his children from his own father.

Obviously, Wally understands why Artemis doesn't want her kids near her monster of a father. From what she has told him, the redhead has no doubts that Sportsmaster needs to be kept far away from everyone. The way he used to pit Artemis against her own sister makes Wally's flesh crawl. He wishes he had been there to protect her.

But on the other hand, he can't approve of Artemis ending the life of her own father. It's against League rules and their own ethics as heroes. More importantly, Wally believes his beautiful wife is better than that. He doesn't want her to stoop to that level.

Finally, Artemis answers. "You know what I'm doing, Wally." The archer's voice is quiet, almost ashamed. He moves to her side in the blink of an eye. Artemis steps away and rejects his comfort. "It might not be what you want to hear, but it's what's going to happen. It's the only way to make sure this never happens again."

"It doesn't have to be that way!" Wally exclaims. "I'm all for hunting him down. But you don't have to kill him. Hand him over to the police, or to the League, even. But don't be that person your father groomed you to be. You're better than that."

"This is my decision," Artemis states firmly. "He's my father and my children are in danger as long as that monster is loose. I know what I'm up against. Getting rid of him is the only way. And I don't care about the stupid rules!"

The screaming match has attracted the attention of the West children. They appear in the doorway of the master bedroom. Tears stream down the twins' faces; they are too young to understand anything other than the fact that everyone is upset. CJ and Cal both pat their sisters' shoulders. Richie just looks weary. It's too mature of an expression for a ten-year-old.

Artemis scowls at her husband and moves to where her children stand. She moves to kneel in front of their daughters and hugs them tight. "Don't cry, girls. Everything is going to be fine. Mommy and Daddy had a little argument about Mommy going away. But I'll be home soon. Be good for Daddy." She plants kisses on each girl's forehead.

The archer stands and folds her arms around each son briefly. "Take care of your sisters," she instructs the boys. "Be good for Dad. I'll see you in the morning."

It surprises him when she moves to him and embraces him as well. "Love you," she whispers. "I'm sorry."

She pulls back. Abbey lurches forward and throws her arms around her mother's legs. Wally watches Artemis gently pry her off and he reaches for the youngest speedster. Artemis gathers up her bow and quiver and slings a duffel bag over her shoulder. She calls a good-bye to the family as she descends down the staircase.

"Like your mom said, everything is going to be fine," Wally assures when he hears the key turn in the lock. "What do you guys want for dinner?" An idea comes to him. He forces a smile for the children. "Who wants pizza?"

The girls cheer. Even Richie looks happier. The kids go off to play a game while he orders the pizzas. It's a good distraction, he thinks when he checks in on them a few minutes later. Not perfect, judging by the way the oldest West son is still so quiet, but a good one.

After dinner, Wally tucks the twins into their beds. He has done everything just like Artemis does. The girls are dressed in their favorite matching pajamas. Wally has seen Artemis braid their hair enough times to be able to mimic it successfully. The Flash kisses each daughter's cheek and tells them he loves them. Wally then switches on the nightlight and leaves their bedroom.

He supervises the boys while they play video games. Artemis has a strict policy of one hour of video games a day for the boys. They frequently try to challenge this. Wally thinks it's best to keep to Artemis's rules to gives the boys a sense of normalcy.

When it's time for them to go to bed, the redhead follows his sons upstairs. He calls goodnight to the boys. Cal and CJ answer him, but Richie closes his door without a reply. Wally lets out a sigh. He wonders again about what his oldest boy may or may not know.

He calls the Watchtower to see if anyone has heard from Artemis. Conner is on monitor duty. The clone tells the speedster she hasn't checked in, but he's keeping an eye on the situation. Conner also says he's prepared to send back up to Artemis if she needs it.

When the clone ends the conversation, Wally tries to find a way to keep his mind off of his wife. With the kids asleep, the scientist doesn't have much to focus on. He'd like to take a run to clear his head, but doesn't like the idea of leaving his children alone. There's nothing good on TV and nothing interesting on the internet. Finally, he decided to try reading. Even so, it takes him three tries to finish one page.

He doesn't like where things were left with Artemis. That's all there is to it. The redhead does not approve of his wife's intentions. Talking about her past has always been difficult for the archer. But she has always stood firm on the fact that she doesn't want the life of a killer. Wally can't help but feel it's hypocritical of her to make an exception for her father.

She's freaked out. Wally gets that. But he has _always_ protected their babies. He's never allowed any harm to come to them. It hurts that Artemis apparently feels he is no longer capable of keeping the children safe if she is so gung ho to go off her father.

He thinks they might be in trouble. He honestly can't picture being married to someone who has taken the life of her own father. As vile as Sportsmaster is, Wally is too much of a hero to want to see him murdered. Criminals are for capturing and taking to jail. They are not to be purposely killed by the heroes, no matter their crimes.

Wally doesn't think he wants the children to be around their mother if she's reconsidered her stance on killing.

It's all so complicated. He doesn't know what to do or think.

Fortunately, he no longer has to think about Artemis. The bedroom door emits a quiet squeak. Wally glances over to see the twins standing in the doorway just as they had earlier. The sisters' hands are tightly clasped, and he can see where tears have slid down their faces.

In an instant, Wally has them enveloped in a bear hug. "What happened?" he asks as he strokes Tori's now unbraided hair soothingly. "Tell Daddy."

"We miss Mommy," Tori sniffs. Abbey bobs her head in agreement with her twin. Both girls then hide their faces against his chest.

Wally gives them another hug. "I know you miss your mom. I miss her too. But she'll be home in the morning just like she said. And we'll have a big breakfast together and have a fun day. Alright? Daddy knows it must be hard to be away from her. It's hard for me, too."

The girls' little faces still look miserable. He wishes he had another way to comfort his daughters. They're close to their mother; all of the children are. Wally thinks he should have known that distracting the kids with pizza and games would only work for a short time.

Another idea comes to Wally. It's another distraction, but it's a better one this time around. "Go upstairs and get your blankets. I'm going to get your brothers. Daddy's going to read you all a story."

The twins run off. Wally picks up a book from the shelf on the far side of the bedroom. He tucks it under his arm and goes to each of the boys' rooms. As Wally suspected, none of the West sons are asleep. "Come on guys," the oldest speedster instructs. "We're going down to the playroom. Bring your blankets."

The kids make themselves little beds on the floor of the playroom. Wally settles in on the couch and holds up the book. "This is your mom's favorite book," he explains. "And I know we all miss her right now. So I'm going to read it to you."

Wally cracks open the much loved copy of _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_ and begins to read. "Alice was beginning to get very tired…"


	13. Chapter 13

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_A/N: I'm so sorry you guys. Life is still crazy for me. It seems like the only time I have to write anymore is after midnight when I get home from work. I try to write every day but some days it gets away from me. I apologize for the delay. I hope to have the next part up in a more timely manner._

_Richie: 10; Cal: 9; CJ: 7: Abbey and Tori: 4. Jessica Jordan: 10._

**The Wests**

Artemis makes her way through Steel City to the coordinates she has been sent. She hopes her father is still in the area. She doesn't want this mission to end up as a wild goose chase. The archer is extra careful. It would be just like Sportsmaster to guess that she's on her way and want to turn the tables on her. Artemis hopes she's not going to have to defend herself in unfamiliar territory.

She's still troubled as to why her father showed up at all. The reporter hasn't seen him in years and has thought (or prayed, maybe) that her father had decided to let her live her life in relative peace. Artemis wishes with all her heart that was still the case.

The blonde archer arrives at the location. She rolls her eyes. An abandoned warehouse is such a cliché for criminals. The Kobra venom her father was supposedly smuggling also fit neatly into his long established patterns. Some things never changed, at least. The heroine wishes fights could be a little more original from time to time.

Artemis lets herself inside. The heroine draws her bow. She wants to strike as soon as she spots Sportsmaster. The sooner this is over with, the better. The reporter just wants to go home to her family.

She wishes she hadn't had to leave things on such a bad note with Wally. Artemis knows her husband is a hero through and through. His code of ethics is something he takes very seriously. Artemis hadn't expected Wally to be happy with her decision to take down Sportsmaster.

But on the other hand, the heroine is frustrated with that viewpoint. As the father of the children Artemis desperately wants to protect, she feels Wally should want her to do whatever she thinks will keep them the safest. Artemis has a bad feeling Sportsmaster wants a new apprentice and is setting his sights on a West child. The family business has caused her enough grief in her life. She swears she won't let that man touch a hair on any of her children's heads.

"Now, now, baby girl," her father's voice says patronizingly, "don't do anything you're going to regret. Let's just talk this out."

Sportsmaster moves into Artemis's line of vision. Up close, he's almost the same as the archer remembers him. He's still huge, but is slightly hunched over now. His blond hair has streaks of silver in it.

But Lawrence Crock's gray eyes are as cold as Artemis recalls. She doesn't lower her bow and shifts so that she will have a better target should he advance towards her.

He laughs. "What are you going to do, baby girl? Gonna kill your daddy? I'm sure there's a rule against that in your little club. Think they're gonna kick you out?"

"I don't care about that. I just want to keep you away from my children." The archer does a good job of keeping her voice even despite the fear that is clawing at her desperately.

"You don't care about the rule because deep down you're not like them. You're like Jade, and you're like me. I was surprised to see you're still playing hero with your little boyfriend. Or husband, now. I don't remember being invited to the wedding.

"Artemis West…" Sportsmaster says slowly. "GBS News reporter. Wife of Wally West, mother of Richie, Cal, CJ, Abbey, and Tori. I know all about your life, Artemis. I've been watching you. It's what a father does."

"You're not a father!" Artemis bursts out. "You never loved me or cared about me. You only wanted to use me. I don't know what you wanted when you showed up, but I'm not going to let you have it."

She draws her bow again. She has the arrow that will end Sportsmaster's life if shot at the right place nocked in the string of her bow.

And suddenly, Artemis sees the faces of her children. Green eyes, gray eyes, freckles, smiles with missing front teeth. Her babies. Her babies that would be horrified if they ever discovered what Artemis wants to do to the vile man in front of her. And she sees the disappointment on Wally's face from when she had hugged him good-bye. She understands now.

She reaches into her quiver and switches her regular arrow for one that will release a net upon being fired. Sportsmaster is hopelessly entangled and he falls to the ground, cursing. Artemis walks to him, places her boot on his chest, and leans over him. "I am _not_ like you," she whispers.

Then Artemis touches the com link in her ear. "Artemis to Superboy. I've apprehended Sportsmaster and I'm requesting back up to take him to Justice League headquarters."

The com link crackles and Conner's voice is in her ear. "Sending Green Lantern to your location. Sportsmaster will remain in League custody."

Green Arrow pipes up, too. Artemis hears Conner grunt disapprovingly, but Ollie ignores him. "I'm coming, too."

When the other heroes arrive, Green Lantern uses his ring to construct a small glowing jail cell for Sportsmaster. Artemis can't help but feel relieved to see the criminal carted off to League headquarters.

"You did the right thing, Artemis," Ollie tells her. "It would have been easy to just get rid of the problem but you didn't. You would have regretted it later on. That kind of thing never leaves you."

Artemis nods. "Did you talk to Wally? I think he was trying to tell me the same thing, only I didn't want to hear it."

The Emerald Archer shakes his head. "No, I didn't talk to Wally. I just know you." He touches her shoulder. "Go home. We've got things covered here."

"Thanks, GA." She turns to Green Lantern and thanks him as well. She's so happy and relieved that her father in being taken far away from her children that she feels almost dizzy with it. Before she really knows what she's doing, the heroine adds to Hal that he should bring his daughter over to play some time. He looks a little confused but accepts.

Artemis strides through Steel City with her head held high. She knows Ollie is right. Now she can still be kind of person she's been trying to be since she was fifteen. Artemis can still be a role model for the West children. Wally won't look at her with those disappointed eyes.

The archer arrives at a zeta tube and it scans her. She pushes the buttons that form the code for suburban Central City. She arrives just a few streets away from home and pauses to put her equipment in the duffel bag she has brought. Artemis knows no one is out at this hour, but she removes her cowl and pulls on a hooded sweatshirt over her uniform top anyway.

When the blonde reporter arrives home, she immediately sees the soft glowing light of the playroom is still on. As Artemis makes her way towards the room, she hears the sound of Wally's voice. He is reading _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland._ Artemis pokes her head into the room and finds that even though it is past midnight, the children are still awake and hanging on Wally's every word.

The green eyes of the oldest son lock on hers. Artemis gives Richie a small smile and he returns it. Then the twins' heads snap up. "Mommy!" Abbey yells. She scrambles up from her spot on the floor and launches herself at Artemis's legs.

The next thing Artemis knows, she's on the floor of the playroom wrapped in a many-limbed hug. She stretches her arms to accommodate as many of the kids as she can. Each child receives a kiss on the cheek or forehead, whatever she can reach. Wally looks down from his perch with a fond expression on his features. Artemis meets his gaze and waves him down to join the rest of the family.

"We missed you, Mommy," Tori pipes up as Wally wraps his arms around Artemis. Abbey forces her way into the embrace as well. "That's why we're all down here. Daddy was telling us your favorite story."

"He was?" Artemis says as she weaves her fingers through Tori's bright red hair. "Did you like it?"

The twins bob their head in unison. "It's real silly," Abbey tells her mother in an approving tone. "Can we get a talking rabbit?"

Wally chuckles. "You know rabbits don't really talk, silly girl," he says. "And it's way past everyone's bedtime. Now that Mommy's home, it's time to go to sleep. Off to bed."

The kids groan but haul themselves to their feet anyway. They gather up blankets and stuffed animals and drag their belongings up the stairs.

The Flash turns to her with an expectant look on his face.

"He's not dead," Artemis informs her husband. "I turned him over to League custody. They'll know what to do with him."

Relief spreads across Wally's features and he wraps his arms around her tightly once more. The archer feels him press a kiss to the top of her head. "I think you did the right thing. What made you change your mind?" The redhead hasn't moved his lips from her hair and his voice is somewhat muffled. It reminds her of being fifteen and falling asleep with him at Mt. Justice.

Her tone is thoughtful as she replies. "I know this will sound cheesy, but it was the kids. I thought about how afraid they'd be if they ever found out. And I remembered how upset you were at the idea. You're right, you know. I'm not the person he groomed me to be."

"Told you so," he mumbles. Artemis laughs softly.

"I was happy when Hal and Ollie took Sportsmaster away, though," the reporter admits. "So happy that I may have invited Hal to bring Jessica over for a play date."

Wally shrugs. "What's one more kid running around this place? I think we're up to about twelve now. I'm sure one more won't make a difference." His tone is teasing and lighthearted once more. The blonde heroine is grateful there's no more anger in her husband's voice or disappointment in his eyes.

She pulls herself to her feet and offers him a hand. He takes it. "You know perfectly well we only have five kids. And we only have them because you can't keep your hands off of me." She smirks at him.

"That is true," Wally agrees. He looks her over appreciatively and winks at her. Then he says, "Speaking of the little monsters, do you think they're asleep?"

"Not a chance," Artemis replies with a laugh. And she thinks of the way her family missed her so much that Wally had to read them her favorite story. She knows she was only gone for a few hours, but the archer realizes she missed them, too. Everything is good now, and Artemis wants to have her family together again. "Let's get them back down here," she suggests. "They should know how the story ends."

He smiles. "I'll make popcorn."

The reporter climbs the stairs to the second storey. From the landing she can see the light is on in the girls' attic bedroom. She makes her way up the smaller set of steps and finds that the West children are all piled up together on Tori's bed. Richie has the copy of _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_and has picked up where Wally left off. Artemis allows a smile to grace her features.

Then she interrupts by clearing her throat. "Daddy and I thought we could all finish the story together if you guys want to come back downstairs," the heroine tells the youths. "Daddy's making us popcorn."

At the mention of the snack, almost all of the youngsters race off downstairs once more. All except for the oldest West offspring. Richie looks at his mother with eyes the exact same shade of green as Wally's. There is no expression on his face.

Then he says, "Sportsmaster's your dad, isn't he." It's not a question.

Artemis lets out a sigh and crosses the room to where her son sits. She perches next to him and puts her arm around his shoulders. "Yes, he's my father. How did you find out?"

The boy shrugs. "I guessed. Then I asked Uncle Dick and he said I was right."

The reporter has to smile. "You know, sometimes I wonder if naming you boys after your uncles influenced your personalities. CJ can be moody, Cal is calm and quiet. And you know too much for your own good sometimes, Richie. Just like Uncle Dick."

Richie smiles back. Then it fades almost immediately and he looks at her like he's disappointed. Maybe she should have told the kids about their family tree.

"Why _didn't_ you tell us?" the blond child asks. "And why were you so worried?"

She takes a deep breath. "You're a kid. You should never have to worry about not being safe. You should only be worried about math tests and playing video games. And I didn't like how he turned up out of the blue. He did some pretty awful things to your Aunt Jade and me growing up. I'd never want you kids to go through the same thing." The reporter holds her son close and squeezes.

The young speedster pulls back and looks at her. His features are confused. "But why would you think Sportsmaster could ever touch us? I mean, Dad's _the Flash_ and you're _Artemis_. You're an unbeatable combo."

"It's a mom thing, I guess," Artemis tells the boy. "We worry about our kids, even when we know they're okay."

Finally, the oldest West son nods. "Let's go downstairs. I smell the popcorn." Richie picks up the book and together, mother and son descend to the ground floor of their home. The other family members are gathered around a gigantic bowl of popcorn. Everyone smiles, and Wally takes the book from Richie. He begins to read.

It's very, very late when the story ends. The kids lie down on their pillows and fall asleep almost immediately. The West parents pull out the sofa bed and settle in to go to sleep. Artemis notices that her husband's gaze lingers on their first born.

"Does he know?" Wally asks quietly as he drapes his arm over Artemis's waist.

"Yes," the archer answers. "He knows."

"Do you think he told the others?"

"No, I think he kept it to himself," she replies. "He knew I was freaked out, and I don't think he'd want to do that to his brothers and sisters. Richie's good like that."

Wally places a kiss on her forehead. "He is," the redhead agrees. Then he yawns. "Let's go to sleep, Arty. I'm tired." Wally closes his vibrant emerald eyes and begins to snore after only a few minutes.

It doesn't take too much longer for her to join him.

0o0o0o0

The next morning when Artemis wakes up, it's almost eleven o'clock. The twins have crawled up onto the sofa bed sometime in the night. Tori is snuggled into her arms, while Abbey lies in Wally's. Both girls' braids have come out while they were sleeping and Artemis doesn't want to think about the nightmare brushing their hair will be.

What she does want to think about is breakfast. The archer is fairly certain there is bacon defrosted in the fridge and a box of pancake mix in the cabinet. A big family breakfast sounds perfect.

As she cooks breakfast, the other members of the West family rouse themselves. Everyone is content to be stuffing themselves with pancakes and bacon. The reporter watches her family with a fond expression on her face.

The doorbell rings. She groans. "Who wants to visit at eleven on a _Sunday_?" Artemis grumbles to herself as she makes her way to the door.

Hal Jordan stands on the porch. A ten-year-old girl with shiny brown hair and bright brown eyes stands next to him. She's dressed in blue and there's a smile on her face.

Richie appears at Artemis's side. "…Mom?" he asks. "What's going on?"

Artemis puts a hand on her son's shoulder. "You remember Hal. I invited his daughter over to play. Say hello, Richie."

He obeys. "Hey."

The little girl smiles brighter. "Hi," she says. "I'm Jessica."


	14. Chapter 14

.

_A/N: So here's what you've all been waiting for. Young Justice: Generation II. Yes, they're a little younger than their parents were, but the League will always keep a close eye on them. La'gaan is not a favorite of mine, but I gave him a son to shake up the dynamics of the new group a little bit._

_The new team is: Richie as Kid Flash, Cal as Impulse, Ella Grayson as Robin, Lian Harper as Speedy, Jessica Jordan as Blue Lantern, Marie Kent as Miss Martian, and La'gaan as Lagoon Boy. Since there have been so many team members, I decided that the designations would start from scratch. Richie is B-01, Cal is B-02, and so on._

_The ages of the current team - Richie: 13; Cal: 12; Jessica Jordan: 13. Lian Harper: 14. Ella Grayson: 10. Marie Kent: 10. La'gaan Jr.: 14._

_The ages of the other children - CJ: 10; Abbey and Tori: Grayson: 8.__Carly Kent: 5.__Olivia Queen: 8. Amistad: 8._

**The Wests**

"But Dad, it's not fair!" Richie yells. "I'm the same age you were when you started. I do well in school and I'm pretty responsible for being thirteen."

Wally is trying to be patient with his oldest son. They've been having this argument for weeks and it's making everyone in the household a little bit on edge. The Flash has promised Artemis that the issue will be resolved one way or the other by the end of the day. He lets out a quiet sigh.

"I know all of those things," the scientist tells the boy. "But I don't want this for you or your siblings. I think if I had known then what I know now, I would definitely have thought harder before I started messing around with chemicals. I almost blew myself up, you know."

Richie scowls at him. It strikes Wally that there is a lot of Artemis in their oldest child, at least at the moment. The green eyes flash the same dangerous way Artemis's gray ones do whenever she gets angry. "But I wouldn't be messing with chemicals. I was born a speedster. I didn't ask to be one, but I might as well use it. I could help."

The Flash touches his son's shoulder. "I've got it covered, okay? Be a kid, Richie. It goes by so fast". Despite the fact that the oldest West son is now a teenager and definitely doesn't want to be hugged by his dad, Wally does it anyway.

The boy jerks away. "I hate you!" he shouts. Richie disappears in a blur and Wally hears the bedroom door slam shut. The redhead sighs again and pinches the bridge of his nose. He knows parenting teenagers is a whole different ballgame, but he had hoped Richie would save saying, "I hate you" and door slamming until he was at least fifteen.

Wally wanders into the living room. Artemis is curled up on the coach reading. She's wearing a soft green sweater and jeans. Suddenly, Wally wants nothing more than to bury his face in her shoulder and forget all about the fight with Richie.

Artemis marks her place with a Green Arrow bookmark. She puts it aside and turns to look at him. "That was a rough one," his wife says. Her eyes look as sympathetic as Artemis ever gets. Wally finds himself vaulting over the couch and landing beside her. She hugs him tight and tucks her head under his chin. His arms wind around her in an instant.

"When did he get to be like this?" Wally asks. "He's always been pretty respectful of us." The hero groans. "This being a parent to a teenager thing is going to suck."

Artemis makes a noise of agreement but doesn't say anything. Wally realizes that his wife has not taken the side of either West male. Being a scientist, he finds himself curious. "What_do_ you think about all of this?" he questions.

The archer pulls back so she can lock gazes with him. "I think that Richie is your son," she answers. It's a cryptic answer and Wally has no idea what she means. He's annoyed.

"What, was there some kind of doubt that he isn't?" the Flash retorts. He knows his mouth is probably going to get him put in the doghouse, but he doesn't care. He wants an easy solution that everyone can live with, and being told that Richie is his son is not helping.

Her gray eyes are stormy. "I meant that he's your son and of course he wants to be like you. You're his hero. You're probably the hero of every little boy in Central City for that matter. I mean, what would you have done if Barry had told you he didn't want a sidekick when you got your powers?"

"I guess I would've been pretty hurt," Wally answers. "But this is different," he adds in an insistent tone. "I wasn't Barry's kid. And I could not live with myself if Richie got hurt because I let him run around playing hero."

To his surprise, Artemis doesn't argue back. "I know," she says softly. "I know."

Wally leans back against the couch cushions. "On the other hand, maybe I should let him. Maybe if he saw it's not as glamorous as he thinks it is, he'll want to quit."

"I think I could possibly be fine with that," Artemis says, "granted that he doesn't sustain some kind of life threatening injury. If it was something minor and fixable and it got him to want to live a normal life, I could support that."

They fall quiet for awhile. Another thought that has been nagging at the back of Wally's mind makes its way forward. "Why do you think Richie wants to be Kid Flash now? Until recently, it never seemed to have occurred to him."

"He's thirteen now, just like you were when you started," Artemis begins.

"He already used that line on me," Wally points out. "I think there has to be another reason."

"Let me finish first," Artemis says through clenched teeth. Wally finds himself shrinking back a little. Artemis is apparently appeased by this. She continues, "Raquel told me yesterday that word around the Watchtower is Jessica Jordan's a Blue Lantern now." The scientist thinks the archer's voice takes an ever so slight bitter undertone.

Wally grins. "That's my boy. Using his powers to pick up girls. I'm so proud."

But Artemis looks a little sad as she glances up at him. "He's got a crush on her, doesn't he? It's official; Richie really is growing up too fast. Soon he's going to go off to college and –"

The Flash pulls the blonde reporter close again. "College is years away. And no matter who he has a crush on or decides to date or whatever, you'll always be his mom." He kisses the top of her head.

"I'll remember that you said that when the girls are old enough to think about boys," she retorts dryly.

He ignores this statement and goes back to their original conversation. "So, we're going to let Richie be Kid Flash?"

"I think we should," his wife answers. "The more we tell him no, the more he's going to fight us on it. And I'd prefer you to train him rather than have Richie trying to figure out how to be a speedster on his own. He's less likely to get hurt that way. And I would like Cal to start, too, if he wants to learn. The boys are close and they'll watch out for each other."

Wally blink in surprise. The archer sure seems to have been holding back on her feelings. "You've thought about this a lot," he remarks. "I do think you're right about the boys. There's safety in numbers." The scientist thinks for awhile. "The kids are all going to be hitting that age soon. They'll want to help and live up to their family legacies. I think , maybe, that we should talk to the League about opening up Mt. Justice again."

Artemis nods. The scientist can see that she's already thought of this. "They'll need better training and a place to practice. It makes sense." Artemis holds up her hands and ticks names off on her fingers. "Our boys, Jessica, and Lian are all old enough, I'd say. Of course, the others might have different ideas about what should qualify. Dick would probably say Ella is old enough, and Marie is practically indestructible thanks to Conner. I can't see the Kents having a problem letting her suit up."

He's quiet for a moment as he turns the thought over in his mind. "Ten is young," he murmurs.

"Which is why I'm going to enforce a policy for our family that you have to be at least twelve before you get to wear a costume and pick a code name," the archer tells him in a firm tone.

"CJ is not going to be happy about that."

"Tough."

Wally nods. Artemis is right; anyone younger than twelve probably isn't ready. And CJ still slips into his moods from time to time. He will not be ready until at least twelve. And maybe not even until after that. The Flash stands. "I'm going to talk to the boys about our discussion," he announces.

In mere seconds, he's throwing open the door to Richie's bedroom. Richie looks up from where he's sprawled on the bed with narrowed green eyes. Wally can tell his son is about to start yelling about the invasion of privacy, so he cuts right to the chase. "Your mom and I have been talking about it, and we decided you can be Kid Flash."

The boy's face brightens instantaneously. He launches himself at his father and claims, "I will be the best sidekick ever. I'll follow any direction you give me and I'll be careful-"

"I know you will," Wally interrupts. "It's going to be part of the ground rules. The conditions are that you be careful about your safety, listening to me, and keeping your grades up. This is not fun and games, Richie. It's serious. And if you think you can't handle it, tell me now." He's doing his best to sound stern.

Richie's eyes are bright with enthusiasm. "I can handle it, Dad. I promise. I want to tell Jessica. Do you think maybe she could come over?"

The Flash hides a smile. _'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree,'_ he thinks. To his son he says, "We'll see. And that's another thing. Your mom is starting to think she's 'losing' you to growing up and liking girls. So you be extra nice to her, okay? And no more saying that you hate me. Not cool."

The oldest West son has the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry, Dad. Can I tell Jessica now?" He shoots Wally a look that says he really wants to have some privacy.

Wally nods. "I have to talk to your brother about maybe taking up the mantle of Impulse." He heads towards the door and glances back at Richie. The blond boy is looking through the list of contacts on his phone for Jessica's number. Wally grins and says, "Let me know if you need any tips on kissing."

"Dad!"

0o0o0o0

Standing in Mt. Justice brings back a lot of memories. It's a nice nostalgia trip for Wally. The kids are impressed as well, if their wide eyes and slightly open mouths are anything to go by. Even the new heroes who will actually be the ones using the mountain base are slightly in awe.

The group is a good one. Every one of them stands tall as they are given a tour of their new headquarters. Their uniforms are shiny and new and each young face has the look of determination on it.

The new team consists of Richie, Cal, Lian, Jessica, Ella, Marie, and La'gaan. La'gaan Jr. is as obnoxious as his father but the truth is it's always a good idea to have someone who can breathe underwater on a team like this one.

The seven youths stand side by side as Nightwing gets ready to address them. Wally is vaguely aware of the younger kids being herded away by Zatanna and Raquel until only the new heroes, their parents, and Red Tornado remain. As Nightwing clears his throat, the Flash notices that Richie smoothes out imaginary wrinkles in his uniform.

"Listen up," the raven haired man tells his new charges. "Let me start by saying that we are not here to play games. You are all going to be capable of great things, and this is where it begins.

"You are a team. Any problems you may have with each other have to be checked at the door. If there _is_ a problem we will work out an appropriate way to solve it. If that does not happen you will be suspended from this team. If it happens again you'll be cut. End of story. You're young and inexperienced. You have to trust each other."

He smiles at the children. "Now, I know that sounded pretty harsh. I don't want to be that way, but I will be when I have to. I will deploy you on missions. Red Tornado will be your supervisor. Artemis is your trainer."

"That's not fair!" Lagoon Boy shouts. "She's their mother; she'll go easy on them."

Wally's eyes narrow, but before he can defend his wife, she speaks up for herself. "I would never 'go easy' on any of my kids, especially when teaching them something that could potentially save their lives. I don't play favorites. And I think to start _your_ training, La'gaan, you'll do twenty laps around the mountain. Now."

Lagoon Boy's mouth hangs open for a moment, but he does the smart thing and shuts it without arguing. He shuffles off to do his laps. The archer looks at the rest of the team. "Take a lesson from that," she suggests.

The team's heads all bob in unison. Then Nightwing clears his throat again and announces he wants to get everyone programmed into the computer.

While he does that, Wally stands next to Artemis. She's no longer looking irritated at the La'gaan situation, but a little sad instead. The computer announces, "Recognized: Kid Flash. B-01." Richie beams with pride. The redhead thinks he sees his wife wipe away a tear.

Zatanna and Raquel come in again. The smaller children follow close behind. Carly demands his attention as she always does when she sees him. He scoops her up into his arms so she'll quiet down and moves a little closer to where his wife stands next to Zatanna. They're discussing the new team. "They're so young," Artemis is saying.

"They are," the magician agrees, "but they'll be fine." Zatanna gives Artemis's shoulder a squeeze and adds, "I'm glad Ella got Dick's disappearing genes. She's hard to catch. Of course, it's really annoying when she vanishes when it's her turn to clean the bathroom. But if it keeps her safe, I'm glad she's got it."

Artemis nods. "And the boys are fast enough to get everyone away from a bad situation if necessary. It's going to be fine. Right?"

Before anyone can answer her, Wally notices the new team has reassembled in a line, side by side. "Robin, Impulse, Speedy, Kid Flash, Blue Lantern, Miss Martian, and Lagoon Boy. Welcome to New Young Justice."


	15. Chapter 15

.

_The ages of the current team - Richie: 15; Cal: 14. Jessica Jordan: 15. Lian Harper: 16. Ella Grayson: 12. Marie Kent: 12 La'gaan Jr.: 16._

_The ages of the other children - CJ: 12; Abbey and Tori: 9. Gio Grayson: 10. Carly Kent: 7. Olivia Queen: 10. Amistad: 10._

**The Wests**

All in all, the new team does well. They adjust to being a team fairly quickly, even though the archer notices they keep their distance from La'gaan Jr. She doesn't blame the other young heroes for that.

For their first official mission as New Young Justice, Dick tells them to pick a leader. They all look to Richie, even Lagoon Boy. The archer sees surprise cross her son's face before a proud expression settles over it. He agrees, and he leads the team very well for a rookie. They accomplish all of their mission objectives and the report is a good one.

The young team is extremely careful not to get hurt. The archer suspects it's because they know the League will most likely shut them down if they prove to be reckless or irresponsible.

Of course, injuries aren't entirely avoidable. There are scrapes, bumps, and bruises. Ella sprains her wrist once, and Richie gets one mild concussion. At first, Artemis thinks this might be what turns Richie off of a life of fighting crime. But when she sees Jessica press a kiss against Richie's forehead as he lays in the infirmary, the blond woman knows the concussion will have the opposite effect.

She's not jealous. That would be weird. But Artemis remembers back to a time when the only girls Richie loved were her and his two little sisters. It was simpler then.

She remembers thinking that change can be a good thing, too. This happens as she watches Jessica step out of the med bay when Richie was hurt. The second her back was turned to the team leader, tears had started to stream down her face. The archer recalls stepping toward the younger girl and giving her a hug. When she sees how deeply Jessica cares about her son, Artemis reluctantly decides she approves of the Blue Lantern.

0o0o0o0

It's two years before anything major happens. Dick has given the young team a routine assignment. Stake out a building in a particularly seedy area of Metropolis and report any observations about the suspected leaders of a drug cartel. If absolutely necessary, take action but don't hesitate to call for back up.

It's simple. The team has done this before. Dick assigns only Richie, Jessica, and Lian to the job. Artemis says good-bye to her son and niece as they leave. Then she rounds up the other team members and sends them off to train. The archer is proud when Cal manages to pin her, and the panicked look that crosses his face at the thought of what he has done amuses her. As her middle son helps her to her feet, Artemis assures Cal that she is far from angry.

The cave's computer announces, "_Recognized: Nightwing. 31_."

"Dad!" Ella says happily as she dashes over to where her father stands. "Guess who beat the crud out of Lagoon Boy during our sparring match." Artemis hides a smile at the girl's proud tone. As their trainer, Artemis is not supposed to take sides or pick favorites, but it's always nice to see La'gaan's ego knocked down a peg or two.

But Nightwing doesn't seem to hear his daughter's story. Then the reporter notices the troubled look on her friend's face as his finger practically fly across the computer keys. She recognizes that he's programming a zeta tube to take a large group rather than one person at a time. "What's wrong?" the blonde woman demands.

"Ambush," he says shortly. "The thugs were expecting someone. The kids are outnumbered. Conner and Megan are en route; so is Wally." Nightwing looks to the other young team members and waves them forward impatiently. "Let's go."

Artemis fears the worst as she pulls her cowl over her face. As the zeta tube _whooshes_ her away to Metropolis, she grips her bow so hard that her knuckles are white. When the group of six arrives just a block away from the fight, the heroine sees her second son disappear in a blur. Five sets of feet pound the pavement in his wake.

The trio of teenaged heroes is holding up the best they can. Artemis sees a blue sphere surrounding them, a manifestation of Jessica's Blue Lantern ring. But the light flickers as Jessica can no longer fuel the power ring with hope. Lian reaches for an arrow and fires it. Richie cannonballs himself into a group of criminals and knocks them down like bowling pins.

Relief floods into Artemis as if it's a tangible thing. She takes a spot next to her niece and fires carefully.

The fight is turning around. Ella vaults over things expertly and lands effective kicks and punches. Marie floats above the chaos and focuses her telepathic powers on another group. Cal and Richie are nearly identical blurs. Richie has to run into the middle of the fray to move Jessica to safety. The blonde heroine manages to frown. She knows it must be hard to focus hope in the middle of a fight that's not going your way, but the cavalry has arrived. Jessica should be able to put up her protective shield and fly.

Looking back on it later, it's almost as if the young Blue Lantern knew that at the end of the battle, where would be nothing to be hopeful for.

The drug cartel can see that things are not going their way. Yes, random thugs could handle three young heroes with little difficulty. But when the odds change to include four more teen crime fighters and two senior members of the Justice League with more on the way, it's time to do things a little bit differently.

Artemis hears a gunshot and she swears her heart stops. Her stormy gray gaze flickers to her sons and she's relieved for a split second. Maybe whichever lackey has fired the shot has simply missed.

There's a strangled gasp from beside her. The archer turns to her niece just in time to see Lian slump to the ground. There's a hole in her chest that is spreading sticky crimson blood over Lian's pristine uniform.

Jessica screams. Artemis gathers Speedy up in her arms as the Blue Lantern lands beside her. She's frantically trying to use her power ring to revive Lian, but it won't work. The healing powers of her Blue Lantern ring only work when a Green Lantern is present.

Richie leaves the criminals he's been fighting for Cal to handle. The oldest West son materializes beside his mother and attempts to take his cousin from her grasp. But Lian's brown eyes are glassy and the older archer knows it's too late for anyone to help her niece now. Tears stream from her eyes and drip onto Lian's face.

The backup members of the League arrive and find the tragedy unfolding before them. Megan's hands cover her face and she comes to kneel at Artemis's side. The Martian slips an arm around the blonde reporter's shoulders. Artemis sees Wally squeeze his eyes shut tight for just a moment before he finishes helping Conner tie up the remaining thugs to be delivered to the police.

Everyone is in tears. M'gann shifts to the side so Wally can slip in beside his wife. Kid Flash sees that Jessica is sobbing and he pulls her away from the gore. He tucks her head under his chin. The other members of New Young Justice don't know what to do with themselves.

Nightwing was gotten in touch with Red Arrow. Artemis hears Dick tell Roy to meet them at Metropolis General Hospital. Wally and Conner volunteer to see that the team members get home safely. The Flash presses his lips against hers for a split second as the ambulance that is no longer needed arrives. As he and Conner depart with the teens in tow, she feels more alone than ever.

0o0o0o0

The day of the funeral is a beautiful one. The sun shines brightly over Star City. It makes the reason they are all gathered together even more terrible.

Roy gives his daughter's eulogy. It's very obvious that the man is devastated by the loss of his daughter. He can barely get the words out. By the time he's done speaking, there's not a dry face in the audience.

Artemis sees a flash of green the same color of Jade's uniform. The assassin has never been much of a mother, but the archer knows how her sister's heart must be broken. There's a hole in her life now, and Lian was only her niece. Artemis can't imagine what she'd be going through right now if it had been her own child being packed away under the freshly turned earth.

During the reception, everyone shares their favorite Lian stories. She'd been such a beautiful girl, vibrant and full of life. As Ollie says, "She would have gone so far."

Wally's halfway through a story about the time Lian talked him into doing her whole science project (a real working volcano) when Artemis cannot take it anymore. She stands and leaves the hall. As she wanders, she spots the messy blond hair of her youngest son. The reporter decides to follow CJ to wherever he's going. She has a hunch that he's hurting just as much as she is.

CJ's found himself a spot in a quiet garden outside. He parks himself on a bench next to a pond filled with fish in a rainbow of colors. Artemis watches her son bury his face in his hands. His shoulders heave with sobs. She can't think of a time she's ever seen CJ cry so hard.

The reporter sits next to him and puts her arm around his shoulders. As she waits for CJ to say something, she idly muses that her youngest boy is not a baby anymore. He's not the lonely child who looked at her and asked if he was loved less than the others. He's not the hopeful child who looked at her for approval as he learned to shoot his first arrows. He's not even a child anymore, not really. The grief he's letting out is the grief of a man.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," he says when he's wiped his glistening green eyes. His voice is angry. Artemis understands that anger. None of this is fair. "I wanted to be on the team. Bur not like this. Not because Lian's gone."

Artemis pulls her son close. "You don't have to be on the team," she assures the boy. "You can just be CJ. No one's going to make you be an archer." Another thought comes to her. She's horrified at the idea of it. "You don't feel like I pushed you, do you? Because you don't have to be like me."

He shakes his head. "Mom, I want to be like you. I do. I just…Lian had her whole life ahead of her," CJ says earnestly. "She always used to tell me I'd have to beat her if I wanted to take her spot on the team. But I never wanted to _take_ her place. I don't want to be a replacement."

"No one is going to call you a replacement," Artemis murmurs to her youngest son. Then the heroine feels Wally's green gaze settle over her. She guesses he wants a private conversation. She gives CJ a small smile and ruffles his hair. "Go on inside now. And make sure Uncle Roy eats something, okay?"

CJ unfolds himself from the bench. He leans down to kiss his mother's cheek and makes his way back into the hall. Wally is settling himself into the abandoned seat in an instant.

"He wants to be on the team." It's not a question.

The archer leans against her husband. His arm wraps around her waist. "Right now, I don't even think there should _be_ a team," she tells him. "I don't know what we were thinking." Her voice is miserable.

"I don't know either," Wally agrees. "But there is still a team for right now. And they _will_ need an archer."

"But he's _normal_," Artemis protests. "He doesn't have that healing thing like Richie and Cal. He's normal just like Lian was. And I can't lose another one of those kids, Wally. I'm supposed to be their _teacher_. Dinah never lost any of us."

Wally smoothes a hand over her hair. "Don't do that to yourself," he implores her quietly. "It wasn't your fault. If Lian had been face to face with him, he wouldn't have had a chance. She knew how to defend herself, and_you_were a big part of that. But that creep didn't care. He's a coward."

"Doesn't bring her back," the archer says in a bitter tone. Wally presses a kiss to the top of her head in comfort.

The pair stays outside for awhile longer. The silence is companionable; just being near him right now is helping calm her. He's right, she decides eventually. The only person who can be blamed for the youngest Arrow clan member's death is the dirt bag who put a bullet in her chest.

She wants to find him, she thinks suddenly. Artemis wants to make sure he never takes away someone else's loved one again.

The archer forces herself to push the thought from her mind. She knows Lian wouldn't want that. She makes herself concentrate on the way Wally's warmth is familiar and soothing. She makes herself think about the idle way his fingers weave through her silky blonde locks.

The set of heroes grow tired of sitting. Neither is in the mood to go back inside and face everyone else, so they wander through the grounds some more. They come across Richie and Jessica. Appropriately, the younger heroes are standing beneath a weeping willow tree. Kid Flash has his arms around the girl, and even from a distance, Artemis can see the tear stains Jessica has left on Richie's shirt.

"It's my fault," Jessica sobs as the West parents draw closer. "I'm so useless. Most of my stupid powers only work when I'm with a Green Lantern. If my dad had been there, Lian would still be alive. _I could have saved her._" The brunette girl leans on the blond boy heavily. He has to take a step backwards as he struggles to support the additional weight.

"Jess," Richie says quietly as he lifts a hand to stroke her brown hair, "you are _not_ useless. It's that thug who put a bullet in Lian's chest who's responsible. Not you. Don't beat yourself up over this. She'd say the same thing."

"She's my _best_ friend," Jessica says with another sob. Artemis notices Richie's shoulders rise and fall as he sucks in a deep breath and exhales it in a sigh.

The archer takes Wally's hand and leads him away before they can be discovered eavesdropping on the younger couple's private moment. When they are a safe distance away, Wally lets out a low whistle.

Confused, Artemis looks at him with a frown on her face. "What did you do that for?" she asks.

"You have more in common with Jessica than you think," Wally remarks. "And Richie's _really_ good at that comforting thing." The Flash draws himself up to his full height and adds in a proud tone, "He learned that from me, of course."

"Of course he did," Artemis replies dryly. She glances back in the direction they have just come from. "But I think you're right about Jessica. She's taking this really hard. Do you think I should talk to her? It's one thing for me to blame myself, but a fifteen-year-old shouldn't have to walk around thinking it's her fault that her best friend is dead."

Wally pauses in his tracks to look at her. He tucks a few strands of hair behind her ear. "It's survivor's guilt, Artemis. Of course it's not Jess's fault, but she feels guilty anyway. I bet they all do, at least a little. And I think as their teacher, honorary aunt, and mother, you should talk to them." He gives her a little smile. "You could ask Dinah for tips."

The reporter manages to return the gesture. "I'll make sure to do that," she says. They continue walking back towards the hall. Wally opens the door for her, but Artemis shakes her head. "I just want another minute," Artemis tells him. "I'll be in soon."

When she's alone, the archer closes her eyes tight. "Wherever you are, Lian, look out for them, okay? Look out for all of us."


	16. Chapter 16

.

_A/N: Just like I think I made up Central City's baseball team the Cobras, as far as I know the Blüdhaven Bears is also made up by me._

_The ages of the current team - Cal: 17; CJ: 15. Ella Grayson: 15. Marie Kent: 15; La'gaan Jr.: 19._

_The ages of the other children - Richie: 18; Abbey and Tori: 12. Jessica Jordan: 18. Gio Grayson: 13. Carly Kent: 10. Olivia Queen: 13. Amistad: 13._

**The Wests**

It is the dawn of the day that Wally has dreaded for years. It's the day Richie is leaving for college.

Of course, Wally is excited for his son, just like any good father would be. It's going to be a good experience for the young man. Wally remembers what it's like to be eighteen and leaving home to start school. Only Wally's sure going to college in sunny California is a better choice than the university in Blüdhaven Richie has chosen, but to each his own.

Artemis drags him out of bed at 6:30 a.m. (on a _Saturday_) to help Richie finish getting ready to leave. The oldest West son is mostly ready to go, but there are a few things left to do.

It's strange to look into Richie's room and see all of the personal touches gone. The posters have been taken down and most of his books are packed away. Even the framed picture of Jessica Jordan that has sat on his desk since he was fourteen has been carefully wrapped and put into a box.

His wife comes to stand beside him. Her arm slides around his waist. "Weird, isn't it?" she asks. "He's all grown up now."

"Just yesterday I was changing his diapers," Wally replies. "And before we know it, the whole house will be empty. The boys will all have gone off to college, and the twins will be locked up in a convent to protect them from boys."

Artemis doesn't appreciate his humor. "We're not Catholic and the twins aren't going to a convent." Her eyes are narrow. "They're going to college, too. Of course, we'll probably have to sell the house to afford all of the tuition. What were we thinking when we decided to have five kids?"

"I'm still not sure about that," the Flash says with a grin. "But they've been a lot of fun."

Richie makes his presence known. "I'm going to college, not dying," the oldest child says. "If you guys want to have mid-life crises, at least wait until Abbey and Tori go off to school." He steps past his parents to get to the nearly-empty bedroom. He returns with a box of stuff that Wally recognizes as belonging to Jessica.

Artemis follows her son out to the front of the house where they are loading the last of Richie's things into the cars. He and Artemis are taking the van up to Blüdhaven and Richie's taking his car. The oldest boy has decided to retire from his Kid Flash duties now that he's done with high school and needs a way to get around.

Wally makes his way outside as well. Artemis is playing Tetris with the boxes to make everything fit neatly. Even though they have sent most of Richie's belongings ahead to Blüdhaven, there is still a lot of stuffed jammed into the vehicles. The Flash muses that Richie has picked up his pack rat gene as well as the super speed.

The blond boy is standing off to the side with Jessica. The box Richie has brought down sits at her feet. There's another carton filled with Richie's belongings that Jessica has seemingly returned to him. She's also snuggled into Richie's bright red Flash hoodie.

Wally sees Richie's lips move and sees Jess bob her head in agreement. She steps forward into his embrace and gives him a good-bye kiss. When the two teens pull apart, the brunette's face is wet with tears.

The former Kid Flash takes the box Jessica has brought him and puts it in the back of his car. The Blue Lantern starts to shrug off his sweatshirt, but he shakes his head. Then she leaves him and moves to Artemis. Jessica gives the older woman a hug. "Thanks, Mrs. West. For everything."

"You're welcome," Artemis answers, looking slightly bewildered.

Then Jess comes and gives Wally a hug as well. "Bye, Mr. West. Thanks."

He's not sure what she's thanking him for, but he nods anyway. "You're welcome, Jess. Take care. Say hi to your parents for us."

"I will," the young heroine assures him. Then she goes to retrieve her stuff. With a final wave good-bye, Jessica heads off in the direction of the nearest zeta tube. Richie stares after her until she's just a tiny speck in the distance. Wally sees his wife's face crease into a frown.

"Richie," she says, "did you and Jessica break up?"

The blond boy nods. "We decided not to be tied down when we're going to school. It's a big world and we both want to see what it holds for us. It's a mutual decision." He smiles slightly. "If it's meant to happen, it will."

Wally's not surprised by the maturity of this decision; Richie has always shown pretty good judgment. And with him going to school in Blüdhaven and Jessica in Star City, it's not fair to hold onto a high school relationship while there are new experiences to be had.

But even though this is a smart choice for the teens to have made, the older speedster can see that his son is upset. His tone has made it clear he doesn't want to discuss his first love at the moment. The West parents exchange a glance but don't press their son for more information.

The other kids have roused themselves. They come down to say good-bye. Cal instructs Richie to take lots of pictures of the campus and send them to him because he's looking at schools to apply to next year. Tori gives Richie a stern warning that he is not to become a Blüdhaven Bears fan. The oldest son assures her that he won't before he gives her a hug.

Artemis reminds the other kids that there is plenty of food in the house and that they'll be home tomorrow evening. She implores Cal and CJ to keep an eye on the girls and to call the Kents in Metropolis if there is any kind of emergency.

At long last, Richie climbs into his car while Wally and Artemis pile into the van. Everyone waves good-bye as the two vehicles pull away from the house and start towards the freeway.

It's a long trip to Blüdhaven. Artemis drives and Wally feels restless. He's really not used to being stuck in a car for three hours. Artemis talks for awhile about how the young team is doing and how she thinks Ella may have a crush on CJ. Wally tries to listen but he knows she can tell he's not really too interested. She reaches for his hand and gives him a squeeze. Then she doesn't say another word to him until they arrive.

He doesn't know why he feels this way. Richie has grown up; of course he's got to move out and go to college. Of course Wally will miss seeing his first born every day. But it's part of life.

Maybe there is some truth to Richie's comment about the West parents having mid-life crises. Artemis seems to be nothing but excited for the boy, which is not really what Wally expected. He's always thought his wife would insist on their children going to school at the college in Central City. He knows she'll miss their son, but from what he gathers, Artemis is fine with Richie moving to the next chapter in his life.

Wally doesn't feel like he's old enough to have a mid-life crisis. He's only forty-three, and most people would probably guess he's younger than that. He's always so upbeat and trying to see the humor in any given situation. He's never felt old before.

On the other hand, he's never been old enough to have a son in college before, either.

He wonders what a speedster who is facing a mid-life crisis _does_. Wally knows most middle aged guys get themselves a motorcycle or a twenty-year-old girlfriend. But Wally doesn't need a motorcycle because he's fast on his own. And the idea of cheating has always baffled him. He loves his wife and their family too much to even consider straying.

Besides, the scientist has no doubts that Artemis would do very, very painful things to him if he ever did cheat.

He's still wondering what he's going to do to feel young when Artemis turns off the freeway. At the stoplight, she consults the directions again and repeats them to herself. They manage to navigate the streets of Blüdhaven without getting lost.

When they find the school, the trio of Wests are met by the Graysons. They have the rest of Richie's belongings. He has shipped them ahead to the care of the family friends so he won't have as much stuff to cart around.

Richie consults his housing information and locates his dorm on the map he's been given. Naturally, it's at the opposite side of the campus. Wally groans before grabbing a couple of cartons from the back of the van and starting the trek across the school grounds to the dorm where Richie will spend the next year.

As they work to haul all of the stuff to the dorm, Wally notices that several girls pause to check out the scene. At first, the older speedster thinks it must be because of him. He feels better. He's not old after all. But then a pretty blonde girl presses a scrap of paper with a phone number on it into Richie's hand. Wally realizes no one is checking him out after all. Artemis smirks, and Dick drops all sorts of troll comments until Zatanna finally elbows him in the ribs.

It's early evening when they've got Richie settled in his dorm room. All the cartons have been delivered to the room and Artemis has made up the bed with the new sheets and blankets they purchased at the beginning of summer. Richie has hit it off with his new roommate, Colin. The oldest West child looks like he's going to be just fine.

They're getting ready to head over to the Graysons' for the night. Wally pulls his son aside to have a private chat. He asks if the young man plans to call the girl who has given him her number.

Richie looks torn. He shrugs. "I don't know. I only broke up with Jess this morning. We decided awhile ago that we were going to, but it still technically happened today. Calling the girl might be a little soon. And Jess is, you know, the only girl I've ever kissed and we were together for four and a half years. But on the other hand, that's why we broke up in the first place. We both wanted to have new experiences."

To the Flash, it seems like Richie has been wrestling this decision all day. He smiles and picks up the phone number from the nightstand. "Call her. No one's saying you have to marry her. Maybe see if she's got a friend for Colin; that'll make it seem really low-key and casual. Go on," he adds when Richie hesitates.

Finally, Richie takes the paper from him. He asks Colin if he might be interested in grabbing something to eat with a couple of girls. Richie's new friend agrees, giving the oldest West son no real reason not to call his admirer. He fishes his phone from his pocket and starts to dial.

Artemis waves to Richie and Colin and herds Wally away from the dormitory just as Richie starts talking into his phone. Dick and Zatanna are already waiting in the hall. Together, the two couples make their way out to the parking lot. When the West parents are alone, Artemis gives him a big smile and a kiss.

"That was some really good advice you gave him," the archer informs him when she's done kissing him. "I'm glad you gave it to him. Guess that's what happens as we get older. We get wiser, too."

She turns back to the steering wheel and starts up the van. Wally is struck by the words "older" and "wiser". He knows he must be losing it if he's still hung up on the harmless comment Richie made about mid-life crises. But the Flash is having the hardest time putting it out of his mind.

He's quiet throughout dinner and he knows Artemis is concerned when he only eats half of an extra large pizza instead of a whole one. Wally can feel her gaze on him as she chats with Zee and fields Ella's too-innocent questions about CJ. The scientist knows she'll want to talk to him whenever they get a moment to be alone.

After dinner, Dick disappears and reappears a few minutes later dressed in his Nightwing uniform. He asks Wally if he want to go on a run through Blüdhaven, but the speedster declines. Wally's just not up to doing the hero thing right now. He wants to mope.

Artemis goes to call Cal and the other children at home in Central City. Zatanna tells Wally that she's made the bed in the guest room and everything is ready for them. Wally thanks his hostess and wanders into the spare bedroom to get ready for bed. He's beyond exhausted.

When he's dressed for bed, the redhead steps into the bathroom across the hall. He's examining his reflection for gray hairs when Artemis joins him.

"What are you doing?" the archer demands when she has closed the door.

"Looking for gray hairs," Wally replies as if it's obvious. It certainly should be obvious. "Do you see any?" He leans towards his wife so she can look at him from a better angle.

But Artemis gently pushes him away. "You don't have any gray hairs, Wally," she says. "And even if you did, I'd say after the life you've lived and the things you've seen, then you've earned them."

Wally lets out a sigh and puts on his best wounded puppy expression. He's hoping to gain Artemis's sympathies. "Am I old?"

To his surprise and annoyance, his wife grins. "So _that's _what this is about?" He nods, and the grin stretches even further. She looks like the mask her sister wears. "I win the pool then."

"You had a bet on what's bothering me?" he explodes. "That is so not cool, Artemis."

"I know you the best though, so I won," she says as if that makes it alright. "Zatanna said something about you being upset that Richie's not going to our school and studying chemistry. Dick just said you were upset about the Cobras not making the playoffs for the fifth season in a row. But _I_knew you've been acting strangely because of your age."

He's still scowling. He can't believe Artemis and Zatanna could be insensitive enough to place bets on such a thing. Dick's actions are certainly believable, however. The younger man's always been nothing but a little troll. But Artemis?

She's taking him by the hand now and leading him back to the guest room across the hall. When the door's closed, the archer turns to him like she wants to explain, but he stops her before she can.

"I can't believe you guys would do that when something is obviously wrong," Wally says. He can't remember the last time he's felt so angry.

For what it's worth, Artemis does look apologetic. "I'm sorry," she says, "it wasn't supposed to be anything serious; it was just a joke. I'm sorry," she repeats. Wally's expression softens, and he feels the heat and anger leave his face.

The archer takes this as a good sign, apparently. She steps closer to him, a tiny smile placing on her lips. "Listen, you're not old, okay? If you were old, that would mean I'm old, too. And I'm not."

But even with the teasing and smiles, the oldest speedster still feels miserable. He sinks onto the bed and hunches over. He rests his chin on one hand. Artemis comes to sit beside him. "Are you _sure_?" Wally questions. "I've never felt like this before."

He looks at her for a long time. She doesn't answer. And now that he's got her alone, all Wally really wants to do is talk. Artemis is good at saying the right things when she wants to be. So he tries again. "Why aren't you more upset about this?" the Flash questions. "Isn't this supposed to be your department?"

The archer chuckles. "We've never exactly been conventional," she points out. "I think I'm not feeling older because I've kind of gotten used to Richie not being around a lot over the last few years. He's been busy being your sidekick and being on the team and finishing high school and having a girlfriend. Of course I'll miss him, but to me it's like he's been practicing being gone for years."

It makes a lot of sense, Wally muses as he turns his wife's words over in his mind. Artemis can see he's thinking about what she's said and continues. "You spend more time with Richie doing the speedster thing. It makes sense that if he's suddenly an adult and moving out that you would wonder where all the time went."

Wally bobs his head in agreement. It's a good theory. "Remember when we first found out we were having a baby? Was that really so long ago?"

"It was that long ago," Artemis says. "I remember being scared. But I think we've done a good job with Richie. He's going to be fine. They all are."

The archer doesn't say anything else on the subject. She gets ready for bed and brushes her teeth. Then she comes back in and turns off the light. Wally holds the blankets out and she slides between the cool cotton sheets with him. He tucks her in beside him.

Apparently still in a comforting mode, Artemis presses a kiss to his temple before scooting down to rest her head on his chest. "You're not old, Wally," Artemis tells him again.

The redhead absently runs his fingers through her hair. There's one more thing that's bothering him. "So, Arty," the scientist begins, feeling more like his old self, "how much did you make on this betting pool, exactly?"


	17. Chapter 17

.

_A/N: __The main "issue" in this chapter is something I've never written before. I hope it's okay and that it doesn't freak anyone out. It's also why I have the parts about the baseball game, which is the only sport I follow/understand, and also why I have the joke about Wally expecting a reward for knowing how long he and Artemis have been married. I was trying to lighten the mood a little bit._

_The ages of the current team - CJ: 17; Tori: 14. Ella Grayson: 17; Gio Grayson: 15. Marie Kent: 17; Carly Kent: 12. Olivia Queen: 15. Amistad: 15_

_The ages of the other children - Richie: 20; Cal: 18; Abbey: 14. Jessica Jordan: 20. La'gaan, Jr.: 21_

**The Wests**

Summer has come to Central City again. For Artemis, this means a lot of herding her various children around and long afternoons at Mt. Justice supervising her young team. It means Wally will be obsessing over the Cobras with Tori. It means a lot of chaos in general.

Richie has not come home for the summer. He's staying with the Graysons in Blüdhaven. Dick has pulled a few strings for the oldest West son and procured him a paid internship at the Blüdhaven branch of Wayne Tech.

On the other hand, Cal has returned after the completion of his freshman year at Stanford. But the middle boy is not content to sit around the house all summer. Cal has taken it upon himself to do summer classes at Central City University. Artemis admires her son's drive to learn new things, but it sure would cut down on the grocery bills if he had gotten himself a summer job in Palo Alto.

She's in the middle of making Cal some sandwiches when she reminds herself she needs to get out to Star City to see Ollie. The older archer has recently been diagnosed with cancer. According to Dinah, things aren't looking too good.

Artemis needs to get the chance to say good-bye to her surrogate father should a good-bye need to be said. She's been busy with her family and her job and being the trainer for the team. She knows someone will step in for her if she asks, but she doesn't want to. Artemis doesn't want to have to say good-bye. She's always thought Ollie is so strong. Too strong to die of cancer.

Cal enters the kitchen with his messenger bag slung over one shoulder and his car keys clutched in one hand. Artemis realizes her stress must be showing on her face because Cal gives her a big smile and kisses her cheek. "Thanks, Mom," the middle son says. The speedster tucks his sandwiches into his bag. "Don't worry about Grandpa Ollie," Cal adds. He's always been good at telling what people are upset about. "He's going to be fine."

The archer tries to smile back before Cal busies himself with shoving a couple of granola bars in his mouth. Wally and Tori come into the kitchen in the middle of a discussion about the great seats they have scored for today's Cobras game against the Metropolis Mustangs. It's a day game and Wally's taken the day off of work to attend it with Tori. Both redheads are decked out in purple and green Cobras gear, which clashes horribly with their hair.

Tori makes a face at her brother's lack of table manners and snatches the box away from him. "You eat more than Dad, Richie, and Abbey put together," the oldest West daughter scoffs at her brother. But Cal merely grins at the girl before announcing that he's leaving.

The Flash tells Tori not to worry and goes to start preparing breakfast for the remaining West family members. "Are you okay?" he asks Artemis in a low tone as he takes ingredients out of the fridge. "If you need to see Ollie, go. I'll take care of things here."

Artemis wants to assure him that she'll be going to visit by the end of the week. She doesn't get the chance to, however, because the front door bursts open again and Cal yells for her. She sighs and begins to walk to the door. "Cal, if two sandwiches isn't enough, you'll have to buy something else to eat," the archer says. "We're out of bread again."

Cal lets out an impatient noise that says he hasn't come back for more food. He turns to the door and waves someone inside.

It's Olivia Queen. Artemis has never seen her adoptive sister look so worse for wear. Her once shiny, perfectly coifed blonde locks hang lank around her face. Her crystal blue eyes are bloodshot. Artemis feels her heat sink.

"Oh, no," she says as she finishes crossing the room to Olivia. The archer wraps Olivia in a hug. "When did it happen?"

Olivia sniffles. "Daddy's alive. I just couldn't be there anymore. I didn't know where else to go. Can I stay here for awhile?" The youngest Arrow clan member buries her face in Artemis's shoulder.

Fortunately, twenty years of motherhood has made Artemis very adept at comforting a crying child. "Of course you can," Artemis tells the younger girl. Cal steps outside and returns with a bright green backpack that Artemis recognizes as belonging to Olivia. He motions that he has to leave. The blonde reporter nods.

Another thought occurs to Artemis. "Does your mom know you're gone?" she asks. The last thing Dinah needs right now is for her daughter to disappear on her.

Olivia shakes her head. "I just had to get out of there. So I packed a bag and left."

The reporter frowns. "I'll have to call her, you know."

Wally pokes his head in from the kitchen. "Hey, sweetie," he greets Olivia. "Are you hungry? I'm making pancakes." He grins that big infectious grin and Olivia follows him into the kitchen. Artemis is heading for the phone when it begins to ring. The caller ID shows the Queens' number in Star City.

The reporter has barely uttered a "Hello" before Dinah's panicked voice is asking Artemis if she's seen or heard from Olivia. Dinah's always been good at keeping calm, so the archer knows that Black Canary must be very worried about her daughter.

"I was just coming to call you," Artemis informs the older blonde. "Olivia just got here. She's fine."

Dinah breathes a sigh of relief. "Let me talk to her, please."

Artemis complies and hands the phone to the younger girl. Wally hands Artemis a plate full of food. Artemis mostly ignores it and tries to focus on Olivia's half of the conversation. "I know, Mom, I'm sorry…being there made me so sad…just a few days…Aunt Artemis says it's okay…"

Olivia hands her the phone, mouthing, "She wants to talk to you."

Artemis takes the phone and steps into what was once the kids' playroom. "We don't mind keeping Olivia for a few days," the archer informs Dinah. "There's a lot going on right now. Maybe you both just need some space. Take care of Ollie and yourself. We'll take care of her."

Black Canary sighs again. "She's supposed to start an SAT prep course next week. Will you make sure she at least opens the textbook?"

"Of course," the reporter assures. "I'll bring Olivia back at the end of the week. I want to visit Ollie. And if there's anything else Wally and I can do, let us know."

"Thanks, Artemis," the older woman replies in a very tired-sounding voice. Artemis feels a rush of sympathy for the older heroine. It must be hard to be caring for an ill husband and run the family company and have a runaway daughter on top of everything else.

Artemis repeats to Canary that it's no problem and hangs up the phone. She returns to the kitchen to find Wally cleaning up the kitchen. Olivia is chatting with the twins. The trio of girls is already giggling.

"Is Olivia staying?" Wally asks as Artemis places her now empty plate in the sink. She nods.

Wally turns back to the dishes and continues to scrub. Artemis is starting to dry the clean dishes when a look of panic begins to cross the speedster's face. Artemis frowns and has a question on her lips when he speaks. "Tori and I don't have to miss the game, do we?"

Artemis lets out a snort. Wally is apparently offended by the response. "It's just that the Mustangs are in our division and a win today will help keep us in first place. It's kind of a big deal."

"Wally, how long have we been married?"

"Twenty-one years," he says proudly, as if he deserves some sort of treat for remembering.

"And how many times have you tried to explain baseball to me?"

"I don't know, a million?"

"And despite your best efforts to convert me, I still don't care. Of course you don't have to miss the game. Go and have fun."

Wally grins and gives her a swift kiss. Then he turns back to the dishes and races to finish them. When he's done, the scientist addresses Tori and asks if she'd like to play catch before it's time to leave for the game. As the two redheads pass through the kitchen, Wally thoughtfully assures Olivia that it's nice to have her and that she's to make herself at home.

Abbey stands up from the table as well. She announces that she's going for a run. Artemis reminds her youngest daughter to stay inside the continental U.S. She thinks she sees Abbey roll her eyes, but she's not entirely sure. CJ makes a brief appearance to tell her that he's going to head to the mountain.

This leaves the two blondes alone. Olivia has slipped back into her forlorn expression. Artemis knows the younger girl probably wants to talk. The archer has learned a few tricks about getting teenage girls to open up in her experiences as the team's trainer and in having two daughters of her own. She doesn't say anything as she begins preparing two mugs of hot chocolate. The blonde reporter sets one down in front of Olivia and settles into the seat across from her with the second mug.

"Got anything stronger?" Olivia asks. Artemis knows she's only kidding, of course. Olivia has always been funny.

"Not for you, kiddo." Artemis takes a long sip of her cocoa and waits for the younger blonde to speak again. She estimates that she finishes about half before Olivia pipes up once more.

"It's not fair!" she bursts out.

'_Now we're getting somewhere,'_ Artemis thinks. To Olivia she says, "No, it's not fair." The younger blonde falls quiet and the archer gives her a gentle coaxing. "You can tell me, Olivia. I've known you all your life. I'm kind of your big sister, or honorary aunt, or whatever you want to label me. You can trust me. Whatever you have to say stays between us."

When Olivia speaks, the archer hears tears in the younger blonde's voice. "He's my dad, you know? He's not done teaching me yet. And I'm not done needing him." Tears start to drip down the youngest Queen's pretty face. "I mean, God, Artemis, he gave you away at your wedding. What if he never gets to do the same for me?"

Artemis wants to assure the teenager that her father will be around, but she can't do that. She knows Ollie's not doing so well. Instead of saying anything that she can't back up, the archer merely reaches across the table and grips the younger girl's hand.

Olivia sniffles some more. "I feel so awful, Aunt Artemis. Before we found out Daddy is sick, I was mad at him. Some of my friends were over and he was being embarrassing. And we got into a fight afterwards. Then he went to the doctor and got the diagnosis. And I haven't gotten to apologize because he's always resting. What am I going to do if I don't get the chance to?"

She yanks her hand back to wipe her face. "It just seems like ever since Lian died, everything is falling apart. Uncle Roy went off the deep end again, Richie and Jessica broke up, and now my dad's dying."

Artemis senses that Olivia is done talking now. She's gotten a lot off of her chest. Now the girl just seems to be concentrating on taking deep, even breaths. Then she finishes the now cold cocoa and looks up at Artemis. A shaky smile crosses the young heroine's face. "I feel a little better now, Aunt Artemis. Thanks."

The archer smiles back. "You're welcome. Why don't you come upstairs and clean up? I'll make the bed in Richie's room for you."

The pair of blondes climb the stairs. Artemis goes to the linen cabinet and pulls out a towel for Olivia and a set of sheets for the bed. Olivia steps into the bathroom and Artemis makes her way down the hall to Richie's room to make the bed. When she finishes, she goes back downstairs to clean up some more.

A couple of hours later, the archer comes back up to start getting ready for work. She can hear Abbey and Olivia upstairs in the girls' attic bedroom. They're listening to music, and judging by the way Artemis hears Gio Grayson's name tossed around, talking about boys. She smiles to herself. It's nice that Olivia has cheered up enough to be talking about boys.

It makes Artemis feel like there just may be some hope in this bleak situation after all.

0o0o0o0

When Artemis comes home from work, she muses that it's shaped up to be a pretty good day after all. She knows the Cobras won, so Wally and Tori will be in good moods. The twins are always happy to see Olivia, and the archer knows it's good for the distressed teenager to have something to take her mind off of the things that are going on at home.

She comes in to find Wally making enough dinner for a small army, which, with three speedsters eating, is essentially what they've got. He gives her an enthusiastic hello kiss and describes in vivid detail about the walk off two run homer the Cobras hit to win the game. Artemis tries to listen. It's nice to see him so happy.

The Wests and Olivia have a pleasant dinner. Everyone goes out of their way to make the youngest Queen welcome. She seems perfectly at ease if the frequency she smiles with is any indication. It looks to Artemis as if Olivia is correct in believing she only needed some space away from home.

When the meal is finished, everyone splits up to do their own thing. CJ heads back to the mountain for his mission briefing. Abbey disappears for another run, while Tori and Wally catch some highlights from the game on TV. Cal, ever the serious student, takes his messenger bag and sits down in the former playroom. He pulls out his notes and begins to review them.

The archer is washing some dishes when she hears a set of footsteps behind her. She turns and her eyes lock on Olivia's figure, which is heading straight towards where Cal sits. There's a textbook clutched in her hands. Artemis guesses it's for the SAT prep class Dinah mentioned.

Cal looks up at the younger blonde teenager and smiles. He scoots over to the left slightly so the young heiress has room to sit. She plops down beside the speedster with a shy smile of her own. It's strange, Artemis thinks, because Olivia is certainly not a shy girl.

Artemis isn't really one to eavesdrop on her children, but she's very curious. She turns off the sink so she can hear what's being said. She positions herself so she can see both teenagers.

"Thanks," Olivia is saying, "for suggesting that I come here. And for bringing me from the zeta. You didn't have to do that."

"Sure I did." Cal smiles again and looks back at his notes. Olivia cracks open her book and starts looking over the vocabulary words.

The archer is definitely confused. She had no idea that Cal has apparently been talking to Olivia for awhile. Of course they're friends, but she's never noticed the two being particularly close before. The situation makes her uneasy.

It doesn't help that the next time Artemis looks in on them, the teens have both put aside their books. Olivia sits as close to Cal as she can be, and he's got his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

"No, this doesn't look good at all," Artemis says quietly to herself.

0o0o0o0

It's been a long couple of days. Artemis is concerned about the amount of time her middle son is spending with Olivia. It would be different if she weren't fifteen and Cal weren't a legal adult. But that's the way things are and nothing can change them.

The two blond teens didn't seem to be too aware that the archer has been playing close attention to them. She's seen the blush cross Olivia's face when Cal brings her an extra pack of highlighters or when he sits extra close to her while they study.

Even worse is something that Artemis sees on the third day of Olivia's stay. She had just been pulling up to the house after work. Cal and Olivia were outside. Judging by the way the ground is wet and soapy, they had been washing Cal's car. Closer scrutiny revealed that it hadn't lasted long because both young heroes were soaking wet and had clearly been playing around more than they had been actually working. The archer then watched in shock as Olivia closed the distance between them and pulled the blond speedster down for a kiss.

Artemis had gone inside and told Wally all about it. He promised to keep an eye on things until Olivia went home. Then he suggested that she take patrol duty to get her mind off of the situation. It was a good idea, and Artemis had taken him up on it. She had also brought Tori along for further distraction and for training purposes.

It's now nearly midnight. The pair of archers are heading home. Artemis listens attentively to Tori's rendition of the fight they'd had against Captain Cold. Naturally, the redhead makes herself out to be the hero.

Mother and daughter let themselves inside the now quiet West home. They have just reached the second storey landing when they hear a bedroom door creak open. A pair of feet pad quietly into the hallway.

It's Cal, and he's coming out of Richie's bedroom. The look on the middle speedster's face when he sees his mother and sister says he knows he's busted.

Tori looks absolutely scandalized. Artemis is as well, but it's definitely not Tori's job to scold her brother. "Go upstairs, Tori," Artemis instructs the oldest West daughter. "You did really well tonight, by the way," she adds. The reporter hopes this praise will be enough to keep Tori from waking her sister and gossiping about Cal and Olivia.

The blonde heroine turns back to her son. "Care to explain?" she asks. He is her son, after all, and he deserves the benefit of the doubt. She has to admit that it doesn't look good, though.

"We fell asleep watching a movie. I woke up a few minutes ago and I carried Olivia upstairs. That's all that happened, I swear."

Artemis wants to believe Cal. She does. To her knowledge, he's never lied to her before, at least not about something as important as this. It seems like a plausible enough explanation, but part of her is still uneasy. "I saw the two of you kiss," she informs him.

Cal looks embarrassed, at least. "I _knew_ you saw us," he says. "Olivia swore you didn't. But you have to believe me, Mom. _She_ kissed _me._ And I told her it can't happen again."

His voice is sincere. Artemis believes him. She believes all that happened was that he carried Olivia up the stairs and that he didn't kiss the younger girl back. But there's also a tinge of something else in Cal's voice. Something Artemis would classify as regret.

"What if she was eighteen? What would you do then?" the blonde woman asks her son. That's when she knows for sure something else is going on. Cal looks almost wistful when he answers.

"If Olivia was an adult, I would ask her out. She's funny, and she's smart, and she's obviously beautiful…"

Artemis reaches up and puts her hand on her son's shoulder. "But she's not an adult," she reminds him gently. "And Olivia's going through a tough time right now. You could get a bad reputation of preying on young, vulnerable girls. And you're so smart, Cal. I don't want to see you lose your future over this."

The speedster's green eyes flash. "I'm not taking advantage of Olivia, okay? We're friends. I know that's all we can be for right now." He looks less angry and more like her little boy again when he adds, "But I really think there's something there. And I'm willing to wait for her so we can find out together."

He's earnest. He cares about the younger girl. "Okay," Artemis says finally. "You have to be really, really careful though. You're supposed to be one of the good guys. If this gets out, it's going to look really bad for everyone, especially you. I mean, she's fifteen and you're turning nineteen next month. I believe that the two of you haven't done anything other than kiss. I'm just asking that you be careful and discreet when the two of you spend time together."

Cal bobs his head. "We will be," he promises. The corner of his mouth turns up in a half smile. "Thanks for understanding, Mom," the middle West son adds.

"Don't thank me yet," Artemis warns. "I'm going to be watching you like a hawk. Now get to bed, alright?"

The blond boy obeys and disappears into his room. Artemis lets out a quiet sigh, as she heads down the hall to the room she shares with Wally. It's always something, she muses. There's never any extended period of peace before more drama pops up within the family.

"Maybe one day you'll have a simpler life," Artemis promises herself. "But probably not."


	18. Chapter 18

.

_A/N: So for some reason, the Wally chapters are harder for me to write. I don't know why. This is a bit shorter than previous chapters, but I promise things will pick up soon. After this, there's four more chapters that I have planned, and I think that will be the end of this. I'm hoping to have it completed by the end of the calendar year, so keep your fingers crossed that I stick to that promise._

_The ages of the current team - CJ: 17; Abbey and Tori: 14. Ella Grayson: 17; Gio Grayson: 15. Marie Kent: 17; Carly Kent: 12. Olivia Queen: 15. Amistad: 15_

_The ages of the other children - Richie: 20; Cal: 19. Jessica Jordan: 20. La'gaan, Jr.: 21_

**The Wests**

It's been a long day for Wally. The Central City Police Department has been investigating some particularly gruesome crimes as of late, which makes being at work hard. He's supposed to protect his citizens and seeing crime rates on the rise makes him feel as if he's not doing his job.

The redhead pushes all thoughts of the appalling crimes he's been delving into as he walks up to his front door. He'll say hello to Artemis and the kids, catch part of the game, and head out for patrol. Hopefully, he'll be able to prevent another murder.

Wally puts on a smile as he walks into the house. He hears CJ up in his room listening to music and Tori's cheering on the Cobras. "I'm home!" he announces. Artemis steps out of the kitchen wearing a grim expression on her face. His heart sinks and his thoughts drift towards another awful homicide, or Ollie's battle with the cancer taking another bad turn, or one of the kids on the team being hurt. "What's wrong?"

She's unfolding a piece of paper that she's taken from her pocket. "Take a look at this," the reporter says as she offers it to him.

It's a drawing of Abbey in what appears to be a feminine version of the Kid Flash uniform. In the drawing, she's wearing a yellow top and a red skirt. This outfit is accessorized with a pair of yellow goggles, yellow tights, and a yellow utility belt. Cherry red gloves and boots cover her hands and feet. The lightning bolt symbol of the Flash line is splashed across her chest.

He's puzzled. Abbey is the creative one in the family, the daydreamer, the romantic. She draws all the time. And yes, she's a speedster, but she only ever uses her powers as a recreational activity. Unlike her siblings, the youngest West daughter has never shown the slightest interest in fighting crime. So the Flash is confused as to why his daughter is suddenly drawing herself as a superhero.

"Maybe she's just messing around," Wally says finally. He's unwilling to voice what's smacking him in the face. He doesn't want to acknowledge the obvious.

Artemis rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "You know as well as I do that Abbey has decided to join the family business," she says. The reporter's face is still grim. "She's seen the news, Wally. She knows what's going on."

"I think that's even more reason to keep her off the streets," Wally shoots back. "We're in the middle of a crime wave. You can't tell me you feel comfortable letting our daughter suit up and fight criminals."

The archer's gray eyes are narrow. "How is it any different than letting Tori be an archer like me? She goes on patrol and team missions. That seems like a ridiculous double standard to me, Wally." She folds her arms across her chest.

The scientist sighs. "It's different though," he protests feebly. "Tori's always been more like you. And Abbey-"

"-is a speedster," Artemis interrupts. She glances at her watch. "I have to get to the station. Talk to your daughter, Wally." It's an order, not a request. As if to soften the edict, the blonde heroine stops to press a kiss to his cheek before she heads to the door.

He hears Tori cheer for the Cobras again. The redhead would like nothing more than to go see why she's so happy, but he can't. He knows he has to go figure out exactly what Abbey intends to do.

Wally brightens as he realizes that he may just be able to talk his daughter out of donning a mask. In the blink of an eye, he's standing at the bottom of the staircase that leads to the twins' attic bedroom. Some kind of boy band music drifts down, followed by Abbey's very familiar giggle and the sound of her talking into the phone.

It briefly occurs to him that he has no idea who his daughter is talking to. The twins are best friends in the way only sisters can be. And he knows she's got friends from school, but he can't think of any Abbey's close enough to that she'd be giggling on the phone with.

"Abbey, can I come up?" he yells up to his youngest daughter. Wally knows better than to barge into a teenage girl's bedroom. The Flash hears his daughter say something into the phone that sounds oddly like "baby". He frowns but doesn't dwell on it. It's possible that he heard her wrong.

The music stops playing and Abbey calls, "You can come up now!"

She's sitting on her bed when he finishes climbing the stairs. Her gray eyes are still locked on her phone. There's a sappy smile on her face. Wally thinks she may have been talking to a boy after all. He has to admit that he's not really a fan of the idea.

The scientist holds out Abbey's drawing. "What's this about?" he asks as he comes to sit beside her. Wally hopes against all odds that Abbey will tell him it was just something she drew for fun.

His heart sinks as Abbey looks at him. Her eyes look like steel. Wally sees a lot of Artemis in his daughter in that moment. "Dad, you can obviously tell what it means," she replies. "I have just as much right to take up the Kid Flash mantle as Richie did. Even more, actually, because I'm faster than he is now."

Abbey is earnest as she informs him of her viewpoint. She's right, Wally knows, but that doesn't mean he has to admit it. "Abbey, you don't know what you're getting yourself into," Wally warns. "It's bad out there. I don't want you getting mixed up in it."

The Flash knows he has to play this smart. If parenting teenagers has taught him anything, it's that the more they're told they can't do something, the more they want to do it.

"It's my job, Dad," Abbey tells him. "I have these abilities and it's my job to use them to help other people. Everyone else has done it. Now it's my turn."

"It doesn't have to be," Wally murmurs. He thinks back to all the times he tucked her in, all the piggy back rides, all the scraped knees he kissed better. He thinks of Abbey as a delicate little girl with paint-stained hands and a big heart. Seeing her want to put a mask on is not something he's ever wanted to imagine.

Abbey seems to realize this. The steely glint in her storm colored eyes vanishes. "Daddy, I can do this," she tells him. "I can. Please let me show you."

Of course, the younger twin is using her very best sugary-sweet voice, the one she uses when she wants extra money or needs permission to do something she's not usually allowed to. It's one of the best tactics in her arsenal of teenage girl tricks. The scientist knows she's attempting to manipulate him, only this time she doesn't want a new lip gloss or to see a late movie. She may be gambling with her own life.

And despite the red haired hero being perfectly aware of Abbey's game, he feels himself starting to cave. "Fine. On a _trial_ basis."

Abbey cheers. This irritates him a lot.

"I'm going to tell you what Mom and I told your siblings. If this starts to affect your grades, you're done. If you get sloppy and get hurt because of it, you're done. And if you don't listen to what I tell you to do out there, you're done. Got it?"

The youngest West daughter is still beaming. "I understand, Dad. This is going to be so cool. When do I get to get my uniform and go on patrol and be on the team? They need a speedster really bad, you know. There hasn't been one since Cal left."

Wally is still a little annoyed that Abbey is chattering away and not trying to reassure him that everything is going to be fine. He glances down at the drawing in his hands again and frowns. "You can have your uniform made when you get rid of this skirt," he tells her. He'd really like to get his way about something, and the skirt is shorter than he's comfortable with.

The red haired teen frowns. "It's cute and it breaks up all the yellow. And I'll have tights on underneath." She thinks for another moment and adds, "You have to be fair, Daddy. Ella, Marie, and Carly all wear skirts, and so did Jess. And Tori's uniform shirt is practically a tube top."

"It's not," Wally protests. "I'd never let either of you out of this house in a tube top." Abbey rolls her eyes in a way that says he's clearly missing the point. "Skirts are not practical for speedsters," the scientist points out. "But if you insist on trying it out, go ahead. I'm sure it won't be long before it gets in your way."

He hopes that his attempts at reverse psychology will work for once. He leaves Abbey dancing around the room with her design clenched in her hands. She looks happy and excited at the prospect of taking up his old mantle.

Wally just crosses his fingers that she's not making a big mistake.

0o0o0o

As hard as he tries, Wally is not able to convince Abbey to ditch the skirt. She does a trial run to California while wearing it and reports that it's not in the way at all. She looks a little smug as she reports this, and Wally pouts a little.

It's her first official day at the mountain. Dick is working on reprogramming the computer to recognize Abbey as the current Kid Flash and Artemis is giving her a tour. Abbey is beaming from ear to ear. He's glad she's happy, of course. The other team members are welcoming to the youngest West daughter as well. He tries to relax a little. This is in Abbey's blood, after all. She'll know what to do.

The tour wraps up and the teammates scatter. Dick calls Abbey over to him to the computer can scan her for identification purposes. Wally notices that Gio hangs back to chat with Abbey. He wonders if she might have been talking to him that day. He doesn't know how he feels about that.

Artemis comes to stand next to him. She watches him watch Abbey for a moment and then asks, "You okay?"

He shrugs. Then he says, "You knew she was going to get her way."

A smile forms on the archer's face. "Of course I did. She's our daughter." Her callused fingers slip into his. "We worried about Richie and Cal and CJ and Tori. And they're all fine. Abbey will be, too." Artemis leans against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

The team has reassembled and proposes going out for a celebratory lunch to welcome Abbey to the ranks. Artemis gives her permission and the group takes off. The newest recruit is right in the middle of the fold, chatting with Carly and Olivia.

She's found a place for herself.


	19. Chapter 19

.

_The ages of the current team - CJ: 17; Abbey and Tori: 15. Ella Grayson: 18; Gio Grayson: 16. Marie Kent: 18; Carly Kent: 13. Olivia Queen: 15. Amistad: 16_

_The ages of the other children - Richie: 20; Cal: 19. Jessica Jordan: 20. La'gaan, Jr.: 21_

**The Wests**

Looking back on her teen years, Artemis is glad that she no longer is one. Sure, she met friends and what Wally would refer to as, "the love of her life" as a teenager. She wouldn't trade them for anything.

But at the same time, the archer knows she'd never want to relive her teenage days. All the out of control hormones and being moody isn't fun. She definitely doesn't miss being jealous over petty things or feeling self-conscious all the time.

However, there are currently nine teenagers on the New Young Justice team and it is her job to help them navigate the rough waters of adolescence. The archer has always tried to emulate Dinah's approach to being the team trainer/counselor. She tries to lend an ear to anyone who wants it and keep an open mind to what the young heroes have to say. Fortunately, knowing these kids all their lives makes it easier to spot when someone needs a shoulder to cry on.

So when she notices that Ella appears to not be speaking to CJ and Marie, Artemis pulls all three aside one day. The archer has already heard from Nightwing that Ella had come home crying the day before. Artemis thinks it's best to get to the root of the problem before it starts to come between the trio during a fight with an enemy.

The three young heroes stand in the room she uses as an office. Ella is backed into a corner with her arms crossed over her chest. CJ looks mad at the situation and Marie just looks sad.

This is not the first time she's had to get to the bottom of something between this trio. Being born within eight months of each other means they have been lumped together for most of their young lives. Ella and Marie are best friends, of course, and CJ's always gotten along well with Ella. CJ and the current Miss Martian have had a more antagonistic relationship ever since CJ hit her with that block so many years ago. But Artemis has always known if Marie ever needed someone, CJ would be there and vice versa.

It's the first time Marie and CJ have ever teamed up against Ella, however. That fact alone is enough to concern the senior archer. Artemis closes the door and CJ and Marie come to sit in the chairs in front of her desk. Artemis waves Ella over. The raven haired girl obeys silently. Her features are still settled in a scowl that looks out of place on her.

The blonde heroine feels very tired then. "What's going on with the three of you?" she asks. "I've noticed you're hardly talking to each other."

"Oh, CJ and Marie doe _plenty_ of talking," Ella says darkly. The current Robin's crystal blue eyes stare at a spot on the carpet. Artemis can see the gymnast clenching and unclenching her jaw.

Ella's always been a very sweet girl. The venom in her voice is absolutely out of character for her. The archer props her elbows on her desk and leans closer to the teenagers. "What do you mean, Ella? What happened?"

But the dark haired teen doesn't answer. She merely continues to glare. The blonde reporter notices her youngest son exchange a glance with Marie. The telepath still looks sadly towards the figure of her best friend.

Then CJ says, "Ella saw Marie and me kissing, Mom. And she's upset about it. That's what happened."

That's surprising to the blonde heroine, to say the least. Megan's been saying for years that Marie and CJ remind her of the way Wally used to behave around each other in the team's early days. Personally, Artemis has never seen it. Now she wonders if Megan has been right all this time.

Marie bobs her head in agreement with the blond boy beside her.

It makes sense. Artemis has suspected Ella has harbored feelings for the youngest West son for a few years. They work well together and CJ _does_ look a lot like Wally. It's not hard to see why the acrobat would be interested in the archer. "Is that true, Ella?"

The raven haired girl replies, "No. I'm not upset because they kissed. I'm upset because they're supposed to be my best friends and they've both been lying to me for weeks!"

"I never lied to you!" CJ exclaims. "I thought you wanted something to happen between us, but I've never seen you that way."

Ella is far from convinced. "If you knew I like you, then what you did was leading me on."

He looks baffled. "What are you talking about?"

"You help me with Spanish all the time. You always seem to let me win when we play games. When I twisted my ankle that time, you carried me all the way back to HQ. I thought you liked me back."

"I did those things because we're friends, El. I'm sorry that you thought they meant more than they did."

The waterworks have started. Ella's blue eyes are leaking fat crystalline tears. Artemis produces a box of tissues and hands them to the girl. She doesn't say anything to her charges. They're making good progress on their own. All they needed was a little push.

The current Robin grabs a fistful of tissues and dabs at her face with them. When she's done, Ella narrows her gaze at Marie. "Maybe CJ didn't mean to do those things. But you know how I feel about him. You're the first person I ever told. And you definitely knew I'd be upset when I found out you'd been kissing him behind my back all this time!"

Marie looks as if hearing these words physically pains her. "You have to believe me, El. We didn't want you to find out the way you did. We knew we owed you the truth-"

"-yeah, you did," Ella mutters.

"And we never wanted your feelings to be hurt," CJ adds. He reaches over and gives the gymnast's shoulder a squeeze.

Ella sniffles and takes some more tissues. "I just don't get it," she says finally. "Ever since we were kids, all the two of you have ever done is fight. At least once a week one of you said you hated the other."

Marie pipes up, "Sometimes things just happen." She shares another glance with CJ, one that Artemis feels awkward upon seeing. It's a private sort of look. "Right, Aunt Artemis? Didn't you and Uncle Wally used to be just like CJ and me?"

The male archer's face flushes. "Gross, Marie. She's my _mom._"

"She's right," Artemis admits. "Wally and I did fight a lot when we first met. But we aren't talking about me." The blonde woman leans back in her chair and watches the trio for a moment. They all still look pretty miserable. "The three of you have made good progress. Everything's out in the open now. But I know there's still some anger and hurt feelings, so we're going to have a sparring match. Come with me."

The archer leads her charges into the training area. "I want you to work this out. No powers, just sparring."

The young heroes form a triangle in the middle of the floor. Artemis announces they are allowed to start. It's not surprising that Ella takes the first swing. CJ blocks the older girl's punch from hitting his face but doesn't attempt to hit her back. When the current Robin focuses on Marie, the telepath does the same. Soon Ella is sweating from her efforts, but it's good. She needs to work through all her bitter feelings towards her friends.

The computer's voice announces that Wally is here. It's unexpected but not unwelcome. As usual, he finds her. The red and yellow blur skids to a neat stop beside her. He stops close enough to steal a kiss. It's a trick he's perfected over the years.

Then he turns to the scene before him. Artemis sees her husband's green eyes widen in surprise. "What's going on here?" he asks. He cannot mask the curiosity in his voice. Artemis doesn't blame him; it's not often that Ella's at odds with anyone, let alone her two best friends.

"Ella likes CJ, only CJ likes Marie," Artemis explains. "She walked in on them kissing yesterday. So, naturally, there's some anger there. They're working it out. And don't you dare look proud of him for having two girls fight over him, Wally," she adds in a stern tone.

A grin slides off of Wally's face in the blink of an eye. They continue to watch Ella throw punches. CJ and Marie block each one successfully. Finally, Ella stops and flings her arms around Miss Martian. The embrace is returned and the two girls head off to the locker room with their arms linked. CJ waves at his father and slinks away before the girls can return and double team him.

"Am I allowed to smile now?" Wally asks when they are alone. Artemis rolls her eyes and heads back to her office. The Flash follows at her heels. "Because really, Artemis, our son is living every teenage boy's dream. How am I going to say I'm _not_ proud?"

Artemis wheels around and jabs her finger into Wally's chest. "Those girls have been best friends since they were in diapers. No guy should come between a friendship like that. I don't care if he is my son. And I'm just glad that it looks like they're all going to stay friends, or at least civil."

Wally holds his hands up in front of his chest, palms facing out. "Calm down, Spitfire," he murmurs. "I was only kidding." The speedster plops down in one of the chairs. "Where's Abbey?"

"She's down at the beach with Gio," Artemis says. "They don't have a mission tonight, so she should be able to go on patrol with you." The archer opens one of her desk drawers and pulls out a golden heart shaped locket that Abbey has given her for safe keeping. "If she's going with you, will you give this back to her? She didn't want to risk losing it at the beach."

Wally takes the necklace from her and stares at it hard. "Where'd this come from?" he asks finally. "I've never seen it before." There's something accusatory in his tone that she doesn't like. Her gray eyes narrow.

"Gio gave it to her for her birthday last month," Artemis replies.

"Gio," Wally repeats. He sounds almost mystified by this, like he can't quite place the name.

"Yes, Wally. Gio. You might know him as our best friends' son."

Apparently, this causes something to click for the hero. Artemis watches comprehension dawn on Wally's face. "I knew it! I knew it was him."

This confuses the heroine. Her brow furrows. To her knowledge, Wally didn't know about Abbey and Gio, or else she would have heard endless rants about Abbey not needing a boyfriend at fifteen. "What are you talking about?" she asks. She'd like them to be on the same page.

He explains, "The day I went to talk to Abbey about being Kid Flash, I heard her talking to someone on the phone. I didn't know who, but I thought it must have been a boy because she was laughing and I thought I heard her say 'baby'.

"Then, on her first day here, I noticed Gio was hanging around her a lot. So I figured it was him on the phone that day. And now I know I'm right." The redhead looks like he's just solved a very complicated mystery.

"Well, good for you," Artemis says flatly. "Do you want an award?" Wally pouts and she feels a little bit bad. "What's the big deal?" she asks in a gentler tone. "She's fifteen now."

The Flash adopts his overprotective father expression. "The big deal, Artemis, is that my daughter thinks she has a boyfriend. And she kept him a secret. I'm going to go put a stop to this." He draws himself up to his full height, as if he thinks this might make him more intimidating.

Artemis lets out a sigh. She catches Wally by the elbow and yanks him back to her. "We've known him since he was a baby. He's a nice boy. And Abbey didn't keep him a secret. I knew."

Wally looks at her in an annoyed way, as if to say she's not being very helpful. "Well, _I _didn't. And if he's such a nice boy, how come he hasn't come to pick her up and promise he'll have her home by curfew and at least act like he's afraid of me?"

"They haven't even been on an actual date yet, Wally," she says patiently. "They've been a little busy lately," she adds.

He still looks like he's pouting. "You have to let her grow up, Wally. I know it's hard. But she's fifteen, and we raised her the right way. Abbey's smart." The archer takes a step closer to her husband. "I was fifteen when we started dating, remember?"

"Yes, and I was sixteen. Gio's sixteen. I know how teenage boys think, Artemis. And I don't want Abbey-"

"-you have to deal with it, Wally. She's not doing anything wrong."

Wally frowns again. He removes his elbow from Artemis's grip. "I just want to talk to them," he insists. He takes off at full speed for the exit that leads to the beach. Sighing, the archer follows her husband's red blur out to the sand.

He's stopped short, Artemis sees as she reaches the beach. He's watching the young couple. He doesn't look mad, but kind of sad instead. It's almost like he's nostalgic.

The current Kid Flash is walking hand in hand with Gio along the shore. Her vivid red hair is tied into two braids, and she looks like a little girl. Both teens are barefoot, allowing the water to lap at their ankles. Artemis knows the water must be freezing – it's November now, after all. Sure enough, she hears Abbey let loose a squeal as the ocean surges at her and Gio again.

Gio stops walking. This causes the youngest West daughter to look up at him. The magician leans down to kiss her. Artemis sees Abbey's hands curl into the fabric of Gio's shirt and step in even closer to him. The archer looks away from her daughter's private moment. She's sure Abbey would be mortified if she knew her mom and dad had seen her kissing her boyfriend.

"Wally," she says quietly as she threads her fingers in his, "let's go. They deserve some privacy."

The reporter leads her husband back into the cave. She takes him into the kitchen and prepares him a couple of sandwiches. He'll feel better once he's had something to eat. Artemis knows this from experience.

He eats his meal with a scowl on his face. She takes it as a small victory. At least he's not ranting about Gio "defiling" their youngest daughter or anything ridiculous like that.

"I'm going for a run," Wally tells her once he's done eating. He drops his dishes in the sink and kisses her good-bye. Artemis takes this to mean that he'll be gone for awhile.

Artemis wonders why her children must have such dramatic love lives. First there was Cal and the underage Olivia; then CJ and his love triangle with Marie and Ella. And of course, there's Abbey, who thinks it's appropriate to make out with her boyfriend on a beach. She makes a note to have a word with them about discretion. At least the kids and their significant others keep things interesting, the reporter muses.

She just doesn't have a clue about how to break it to Wally that Tori's dating Amistad.


	20. Chapter 20

.

_The ages of the current team - CJ: 18; Abbey and Tori: 15. Ella Grayson: 18; Gio Grayson: 16. Marie Kent: 18; Carly Kent: 13. Olivia Queen: 16. Amistad: 16_

_The ages of the other children - Richie: 20; Cal: 19. Jessica Jordan: 20. La'gaan, Jr.: 21_

**The Wests**

Like any parent, Wally hates it when his children fight. Luckily, they all get along for the most part. Of course, there are petty squabbles over the TV remote and whose turn it is to clean the bathroom. A fight with raised voices and hurled insults back and forth is rare.

However, this makes the arguments that do happen even worse.

Today, it's the twins that are at each other's throats. Artemis has gone off to work even though she doesn't start for another hour. Wally knows it's really hard for her to see the girls fight, even though she never says so. He thinks it reminds her of her and Jade.

The Flash stands at the foot of the stairs that lead to the attic. He listens to his daughters screaming at each other, pinching the bridge of his nose as he does so. This one is particularly nasty.

"Just give me my locket back and this will be over!" Abbey hollers at the top of her lungs.

"I don't have your stupid necklace!" Tori yells in response. "You lost it, Abbey. You lose everything. You're so unorganized and you always blame me when you can't find your things. It's probably under one of your half-finished projects or buried in one of your mountains of supplies. Just accept responsibility and admit that _you_ lost it!"

Wally appears in his daughters' room in the blink of an eye. "What's going on, you guys? You don't have to fight like this. You're sisters, not mortal enemies." He turns to Abbey and places a hand on her shoulder. "Tori and I will help you find your necklace."

"It's not lost," Abbey insists. "Tori took it."

Tori's face is almost the same shade of red as her hair. "Why do you think I took your dumb locket? It has a picture of you and Gio. Why would I want that?"

Abbey's voice is venom when she replies, "You're jealous that I have a boyfriend and you don't. You and Amistad broke up, and me and Gio are better than ever. And you just can't stand it."

"You are _such_ a b-" Tori starts, but Wally cuts his older daughter off.

"Knock it off. _Both _of you. You're both acting like five-year-olds instead of fifteen-year-olds." He looks at Tori. "Are you sure you haven't seen it?"

"Of course you take her side," Tori mumbles, crossing her arms across her chest. "I don't have it, okay? She's irresponsible with her things. That's not my fault."

That's true. The oldest West daughter definitely has a point about her sister's behavior and patterns. Abbey has always been the creative one, and being such means she often leaves her half of the girls' shared room looking as if a tornado has just come through. As Wally glances around Abbey's side for a glint of gold, he sees magazines piled haphazardly, bottles of paint missing their lids, and scraps of different colored paper all over her floor. In contrast, Tori's side is neat as a pin.

"I'm not taking anyone's side, Tori," Wally says. His green gaze focuses on his younger daughter once more. "She's right, Abbey. You do tend to lose your things a lot. I'll help you clean this stuff up. I'm sure the necklace is here somewhere."

Together, the speedsters tidy up the room. Abbey even tucks the sheets on her bed in nice and tight before spreading her quilt back over it. The younger twin's side is all cleaned up and the necklace has yet to turn up. Abbey glares at her sister. "It wasn't lost. You _took_ it."

Tori reaches under her bed and comes up with her bow. "I don't have to listen to this," she says. "I'm going to go shoot something."

"Not if I get there first," Abbey taunts. Wally sees both girls dash to their closets for their respective uniforms and decides he better leave the room. He heads to his own room and slips into his scarlet suit. If there's one thing he knows, it's that going on patrol angry can makes them reckless. He decides he better go along and keep them out of trouble.

Abbey blurs by in red and yellow. Tori follows in gray and orange, her Tigress uniform. Of course, she's not a speedster, but she's still pretty fast. She runs at a breakneck pace for a regular human.

Wally lets out a quiet sigh. He decides to give them a head start in hopes that they'll be able to make up. Maybe they'll stop a crime together and that will end the squabbling.

When he leaves the house ten minutes later, both girls are long gone. Wally navigates the streets of Central City towards downtown. As he gets closer to the hub of the city, he hears sirens wailing and the sound of a helicopter overhead.

It's a robbery at First National Bank. The thief is making his way down the steps with an overflowing bag of cash. Tori has foolishly gotten in the middle of things. He sees her standing with her bow drawn, an arrow already nocked in the string. She shouts that he needs to drop the money.

Wally swears that time stands still as the thug raises a gun and fires a single shot straight at Tori's heart.

But Abbey is there. She shoves her sister aside and takes the bullet for her. She drops to the pavement in an instant. Crimson blood turns the yellow of her uniform top a ghastly shade of orange.

Tori lets out a scream and drops to her knees beside her twin. Wally sees the bank robber making a break for it. The cops haven't arrived yet and Wally hesitates for a fraction of a second. But another look at his baby bleeding on the sidewalk tells him what he needs to do.

He's lifting Abbey into his arms before he knows it. She groans weakly. He knows Central City Memorial is only two blocks away. He can cover that distance easily. They see him coming at the Emergency Room and hold the doors open for him.

"Her name is Abigail Iris West," Wally tells the nurses who have come to greet him. "And she was born in this hospital on October 18th, 2026. Her blood type is O positive, same as me. You can take as much as she needs. I don't care. Just do whatever you need to keep her from dying."

He knows that he's panicking. He knows that panicking isn't helpful. But he can't help it. She's his _daughter._ It's his right to panic.

The nurses assure him she's going to be fine. They whisk her away to be examined. He collapses into one of the hard plastic chairs and covers his face with his hands.

Tori comes in. Wally looks at his oldest daughter when she comes to sit beside him. She has pushed back her cowl, and he sees that her pale skin is covered in a layer of grime except for where her tears have left twin paths down her cheeks. She's trembling so hard that Wally can feel his seat vibrating.

He yanks her into a bear hug. She's never been one for hugs, but she doesn't fight it. Tori continues to sob. Wally strokes her hair. He knows she must feel absolutely awful.

They sit like that for awhile. The chaos of the ER is almost soothing, like a lullaby composed of doctors barking orders and people being paged over the intercom. Eventually, Tori stops crying but makes no move to untangle herself from his embrace. Wally is glad that she doesn't.

Artemis comes storming in. Her shoes make clacking noises on the floor. Wally lets go of Tori and stands to greet his wife. For a moment, he questions how she even knew Abbey was here, but then he faintly remembers seeing the GBS News logo on the helicopter. "What do we know?" she demands.

He shrugs helplessly. "No one's told me anything since they took her away. The bullet went in below her shoulder, maybe a few inches above her heart. I didn't see an exit wound. They're probably operating to remove the bullet right now, but that could be difficult. Her body is probably trying to heal itself with the bullet still inside."

Artemis nods slowly. "But she's going to be fine. Right? She has to be." She says this more to herself than to him or Tori.

The archer takes the seat he'd been occupying next to their older daughter. Tori begins to cry fresh tears. Artemis smoothes her hand over Tori's hair and leans her forehead against the girl's. He hears Artemis say something that he doesn't catch.

Wally goes to the vending machines. He's getting a shaky, low blood sugar feeling. He loads up his arms with snacks and heads back to where he left Artemis and Tori.

His wife is just putting her phone back in her purse when he arrives. "I talked to Richie and CJ," she says. "Richie's going to swing by the Graysons' and pick up Gio. CJ went to the house to bring you guys something else to wear." She selects a package of crackers from the food he has brought and looks pointedly at Tori until she takes a granola bar.

Appeased by this, Artemis continues down whatever mental checklist she's been working on. "I tried Cal, but he must still be in class. I left him a voice mail."

She's certainly been efficient in the few minutes he was gone. But this is her nature. She likes plans and organization. This is what Artemis does: she rallies the troops.

Wally acknowledges his wife with a nod and sits down on the other side of Tori. The trio of Wests settle in to wait for more news.

They don't have to wait long, fortunately. A doctor comes out in operating scrubs. He doesn't look upset. Wally crosses his fingers for good news. To the doctor's credit, he doesn't seem fazed at all to be talking to the Flash in full uniform or by the fact that he now knows the Flash's identity. This hospital has treated him before. They're very good about discretion.

"Abigail is going to be fine," the doctor says. "We were able to remove the bullet, though it was challenging. Her tissues seemed to be fusing themselves back together faster than we could get to the bullet. She lost a lot of blood as a result."

"She can have some of mine," Wally says immediately.

The doctor smiles kindly. "That won't be necessary. Her body is replenishing the supply at an astonishing rate." A faraway look crosses the doctor's face, as if he finds the teenager fascinating and would like to have more time to study her.

"Can we see her? Is she awake?" Artemis wants to know.

"She is. She's very tired, but I think if you're all very quiet, the three of you can see her."

Both West parents rise simultaneously. Tori remains motionless in her chair. "Come on," Artemis urges.

But Tori still doesn't move. "I'm going to wait for Richie and CJ."

Artemis frowns at this news, but Wally thinks it best not to push Tori right now. He places a hand on the small of his wife's back and gently guides her towards the room the doctor has just pointed out.

Abbey's sitting up and her eyes are opened. She seems alert enough. When she sees them come in, she smiles. "Hi, guys," she says. Her voice is a little scratchy. Wally sees Artemis blink back tears. She folds herself into a chair at Abbey's side and grasps the girl's hand.

Wally mirrors his wife. He has Abbey's left hand, which is the side she was shot on. He holds her carefully, just in case it hurts her. He knows she'll be sore for awhile. He notices that each of Abbey's fingernails is painted a different color, and her hands are stained with purple paint. He can't believe how close he came to losing his little artist.

"Daddy," she begins, "did we get him?"

Leave it to her to be concerned with the criminal. He doesn't want to lie, but he doesn't want to make Abbey think what she did for her sister was in vain, either. Wally takes in his little girl's hopeful expression. "Yeah, baby. We got him."

"Good."

Artemis shoots him a sharp look. The speedster can tell that his wife knows about his lie. Wally can also tell that she's not going to chew him out for it, at least not right now. For the moment, he is safe.

Abbey clears her throat and Artemis's attention immediately returns to their youngest child. "I'm hungry," Abbey says. "What does a girl have to do to get a bite to eat around here?"

Sometimes, it astounds Wally that his children seem to have inherited all of he and Artemis's various personality traits. Cracking a joke in a serious situation is something he does frequently.

"Dad bought some snacks from the vending machine," Artemis tells the speedster. She looks at him and Wally gathers that it's his cue to exit the room. When he gets back to the waiting room, he sees that Richie, CJ, and Gio have arrived.

The three young men flock to him immediately. "Is she okay?" the West brothers demand in unison.

Wally nods. "She's going to be fine. I'll take you to her." The Flash scoops up the food and leads the way back to Abbey's room.

Upon entering the room, Richie and CJ pause to hug their mother. Gio takes up the spot Wally has abandoned. He leans in to press a kiss to Abbey's forehead. "_Abigail_," Gio whispers. Wally can hear gratitude in the magician's tone.

Richie and CJ stand on the other side of the bed as Artemis comes to join him. "Always wanted to be the hero, didn't you, Abbey?" Richie teases his sister. She smiles at the taunt and nods against her pillows.

CJ holds up a grocery store bag. "I got you all those girly magazines you like," he says. Much like his namesake, the archer doesn't always have a way with words. But the scientist can see that Abbey is touched by her brother's gesture.

This seems to spark something in Gio. "I almost forgot. You left this at my house the other day." The dark haired boy reaches into his pocket and produces Abbey's necklace.

"My locket," she says. Then she laughs. Gio looks confused. Abbey explains about the fight she had with Tori. When the story has been told, the magician merely shakes his head. Then Abbey lifts her head slightly and allows Gio to fasten the locket around her neck once more.

Artemis touches Wally's arms. "Let's go," she suggests. He knows better than to argue. The West parents, Richie, and CJ all file out of the room.

Tori is still sitting in the waiting room, though he does notice she's changed out of her Tigress uniform and into the civvies CJ brought. Artemis frowns again. "Are you sure you don't want to see your sister?" Artemis asks in a tone that says she really should. The older twin shakes her head.

Everyone but Tori takes turns sitting with Abbey until the hospital's visiting hours are over. Most of the time, she's asleep. The doctor says she'll be allowed to go home the following afternoon. Her arm will be sore for a few days, but she will make a full recovery.

The Wests and Gio all head back to the house. Artemis holds his hand tightly as they walk. They don't say anything, but it's nice to know she's there.

When they arrive home, they are met by Amistad. Wally's surprised to see him; Aqualad hasn't been hanging around much lately. Wally recalls hearing that Tori and Amistad had broken up shortly after the new year began, nearly four months ago.

"I heard about Abbey," he says. "Is she alright?"

Tori nods and all but throws herself into the older boy's arms. This is not very Tori-like behavior, but Wally lets it go. The redheaded girl has had a very long day, after all. If she finds comfort in her ex-boyfriend, the speedster isn't going to question it. At least for the moment, anyway.

Artemis unlocks the door and heads right to the phone to order pizzas for dinner.

When it's gone, the West parents head up to their bedroom. Artemis pulls Abbey's baby book down from the shelf. She spreads it across her lap. Wally sits beside her with his arm around her shoulders. With his free hand, he picks up Abbey's hospital bracelet from when she was first born. _West, Abigail I._ It's hard to believe she was ever so small.

Together, Wally and Artemis sift through the memorabilia of their daughter's life. There are lots of pictures from first days of school and birthdays and Christmas. There are lists written in Artemis's careful hand, as if she never wants to forget anything Abbey's ever told her. There's a list of Abbey's allergies, her favorite colors at various ages, music she likes, boys she's had crushes on.

He's frowning at the length of that last list when he looks over at his wife. He sees that silent tears are streaming down Artemis's face. Wally gently takes the book from her before she can stain it. "Hey," he says as he folds her into his arms. "She's coming home tomorrow. Everything's okay."

"I know," she says. "But I heard that gunshot, Wally. I heard it. And all I could think about was Lian dying in my arms all those years ago. He could have killed her. He could have killed our baby. And the girls are fighting. Everything is just a mess."

Wally nods. "I wanted to go after that guy so badly. But if I didn't get her to the hospital when I did, she might have died. But I _am_ going to take care of the girls. I'm going to take Tori down to the hospital and she's going to talk to her sister." The Flash releases his wife and kisses the top of her head before making his way down to the kitchen.

Richie, CJ, and Gio are ringed around the table. They are trading stories about Abbey. Tori stands in front of the counter near the oven. She's cutting into a batch of lemon bars. Tori only bakes on rare occasions, and Wally knows she's still upset. Lemon bars are Abbey's favorite dessert. Wally guesses that Tori feels guilty about the situation with her twin.

Amistad is next to her. He has one hand on the small of Tori's back, a gesture of comfort and guidance. He's murmuring something to her in a soothing voice. Wally is reminded of Kaldur. His son has the same air of quiet leadership.

The speedster joins the two teenagers. He pops a lemon bar into his mouth and swallows before turning to Tori. "Get dressed in your uniform," he instructs. "We're going to go see your sister."

Tori doesn't argue. She walks out of the kitchen without a word. Wally bags up some of the lemon bars and waits for his daughter to come back.

When she does, he heads out the door. He hears her footsteps behind him. Wally knows she's still sulking, but he doesn't really care. Abbey could possibly have saved Tori's life today, and he's not going to allow her to go on not talking to her sister.

No one questions what the Flash is doing there as he makes a beeline right for Abbey's hospital room. He's glad to see that she's still awake. Abbey looks better already. She's sitting all the way up in her bed and thumbing through the glossy pages of one of the magazines CJ brought her.

She looks up at him when she hears him come in. An easy smile graces her face. "Hey, Daddy. What are you doing here? Visiting hours are over."

"Not when you're the Flash," Wally answers with a grin of his own. He hands her the bag of lemon bars. "Your sister made these for you."

"Score," Abbey says as she reaches into the bag. She munches on her dessert happily. Then Tori steps out from behind him where she's been hiding. Abbey's eyes widen for a moment but she offers her sister a hesitant smile. "Hey, sis."

Tori crosses the room to Abbey's bedside. She sits down next to her twin and takes her hand. "You were mad at me and you took a bullet for me anyway. I don't know what to say." There's a pause. Then she says, "Thanks."

"You're my sister," Abbey says simply. She extends her good arm towards her sister and Tori leans into the embrace. Then the older twin notices the golden locket clasped around Abbey's throat. She looks incredulous. Abbey laughs and explains. "Turns out you didn't have it after all. I left it at Gio's house."

Tori shakes her head in disbelief. "Oh, Abbey. What am I going to do with you?"

"I'll make it up to you," Abbey promises. "And I'm sorry about what I said about you and Amistad. I know it was really hard on you when that ended. It was mean of me to bring that up."

The archer shakes her head again. "First of all, you never owe me anything ever again. You saved my _life_, Abbey. That trumps any stupid comment you might make in the middle of a fight." Then Tori smiles shyly and leans in closer to her twin, possibly in an effort to keep Wally from hearing what she says next. "Amistad was waiting for me earlier at home. He said he misses me. I think we might be heading down the road of getting back together."

The speedster's face lights up. "No way," she breathes. "Tell me everything. What did he say? What did you say? I need to know details!"

Wally feels it might be best to interject here. It's late, and Abbey needs her rest. It's a good excuse. "You can tell her later," he says. "You two have your whole lives to gossip about each other's boyfriends." Wally likes to think he's the "cool" dad, but there's only so much girl talk he can take. Especially when the girl talk consists of boys who want to kiss his daughters.

"I'll text you!" Tori calls as Wally tows her from the hospital room. Then she breaks free of her father's grip and goes back to give her sister another hug. "Love you, sis."

"Love you, too."

And Wally knows his girls are going to be just fine.

He's a man of his word, after all.


	21. Chapter 21

.

_A/N: So I know it's a bit shorter than usual, but there is a super special secret bonus chapter that goes along with this one. I promise it will be good._

_Also, I can't believe I went 20 chapters before I wrote about a speedster family Thanksgiving._

_The ages of the current team - CJ: 18; Abbey and Tori: 16. Ella Grayson: 19; Gio Grayson: 17. Marie Kent: 19; Carly Kent: 14. Olivia Queen: 17. Amistad: 17_

_The ages of the other children - Richie: 21; Cal: 20. Jessica Jordan: 21. La'gaan, Jr.: 22_

**The Wests**

It's Thanksgiving, and as usual, everything is complete chaos. Its Wally's favorite holiday, of course, and he swears that the more people who are there to celebrate it with, the better. For the past couple of years, he's put up a sign up sheet in the Watchtower for anyone who wants to bring a dish and join the party.

The event has grown more and more popular every year. The last time she checked the list, it looked like every single person in the League had signed their names.

Including, Artemis recalls, a very familiar name to the West family: Jessica Jordan.

Artemis has nothing against the Blue Lantern. She's long since made her peace that Richie grew up and did so with Jessica. The younger woman never wronged her son in any way. It's not like she broke the speedster's heart. Artemis has worked with Jessica a few times since she joined the League, and everything was perfectly civil.

However, the blonde archer is worried about Richie. As far as she knows, her son hasn't seen or even spoken to his first love since they broke up the day he left for college. It's Artemis's opinion that Richie doesn't come home nearly as often as she'd like. She doesn't want him to feel uncomfortable in his own home.

She's asked him how he feels, of course. There was a long pause before Richie finally said he wouldn't mind seeing his former flame again. Artemis wasn't convinced and she's promised herself that if she notices her oldest son avoiding Jess, she'll come up with a polite way to get rid of the Blue Lantern.

She's stressed. She always gets like this on holidays. Artemis remembers feeling this way when she was a young wife and mother and was worried about the kids getting into things and how to make the turkey half as good as the way Mary used to make it. If she had known then what she knows now, the archer would gladly go back.

The kids are her main concern. The turkeys have been roasting in the oven for hours now, and everyone else has brought appetizers and side dishes and desserts. She's just worried about how the kids are behaving.

It's not that they're doing anything wrong, exactly. The girls are in the kitchen preparing Wally's favorite brownies. Both twins are laughing as they swat away their boyfriends' hands away from the dessert tray. Artemis does allow a smile at that. It's nice to see them getting along. Ever since Abbey's visit to the hospital earlier this year, the twins have been closer than ever.

Artemis is also trying to keep a close eye on Cal and Olivia. Ever since they got together, both have looked forward to any holiday gathering. It's a chance for them to spend time together without having to be as discreet as they have to be in public. Dinah and Ollie have given Cal their blessing to date their daughter, but the archer feels its best not to push their luck. The law is the law, after all.

So when she spots them coming in from outside with messy hair, pink cheeks, and slightly swollen lips, she pulls them both aside immediately. "You guys. I love you both, but you can't do this. I know you look forward to the holidays. But sneaking away to do whatever you were doing – I don't want to know what it was – during _Thanksgiving _can't keep happening." She focuses on Olivia. "Your father is a cancer survivor. Don't make him suffer a heart attack, too."

Olivia looks taken aback. Cal, however, is used to his mother's holiday stresses. "We were just kissing. It's been awhile," he tells her, completely unabashed. "I've heard the stories about you and Dad's younger days. You know what it's like." The speedster turns to the younger blonde beside him. "As soon as Richie gets here, she'll have someone else to pick on."

Artemis is about to protests her middle son's words when she realizes Cal has a point. It _is_ hard to be away from the people she loves. "Okay," she says. "Fine. I just hope one day you see where I'm coming from, Cal. You just wait until _you're_ the parent."

_That_ gets their attention. Both of them flush an even deeper shade of pink before they slink away into the crowd of League members. Artemis shakes her head. Then she notices CJ and Marie are heading to the back door as well. She guesses that the snow that is falling in thick, fluffy flakes might be part of the appeal of being outdoors right now. Artemis remembers the snow from the first Christmas she ever spent with Wally and reluctantly admits that it's kind of romantic. Besides, at least CJ and Marie are both legal, consenting adults. There's nothing to worry about there.

A familiar pair of arms winds around her. Artemis smiles as Wally presses a kiss to the top of her head. "Still worried about Cal and Olivia?" he asks.

"Of course I am," the archer replies. "I have to be." Wally chuckles as he spins her around to face him. She smells chocolate on his breath and decides to change the subject. "Did you get into the brownies?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that," the scientist says. But he grins guiltily and the reporter has her answer. "Relax, babe. Have you ever seen me not eat everything I put on my plate?"

He's got a point. She shakes her head. Wally grins again and pulls her in for a kiss. Artemis complies and finds herself wondering if they might be snowbound as well. She certainly likes that idea.

They're interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. The West parents spring apart to see their middle son staring at them. "Hypocrite," Cal says with a grin. "Anyway, I just thought you guys might like to know that your first born is here. And he brought a girl home."

Artemis looks to Wally in surprise. She definitely would remember if Richie had mentioned that he was bringing a guest. Wally's shocked expression says that he hadn't known about this, either.

Together, the West parents make their way to the front room. Sure enough, Richie is there, shrugging off his winter coat. Standing beside him is a feminine figure with her back turned towards them. She's unwinding a blue scarf from her neck. As she turns to Richie to give him the scarf to hang up, Artemis recognizes Jessica Jordan.

This day just keeps getting weirder. "Look, honey," Wally says, "Richie and Jess are here. And they came together. Isn't that nice?" Artemis manages to nod before picking a path through her guests to her son and Jessica.

Richie returns her embrace. "We didn't come together," he tells his parents. "Jessica came though the zeta tube right after I did. We just decided to walk together. It definitely was not a planned thing."

But Artemis knows her son. It might have been just a coincidence that Jessica arrived in Central City just after he did, but Artemis can tell Richie doesn't mind at all. That's a pretty interesting turn of events, Artemis muses.

Jessica smiles and reaches to hug Artemis as well. "It _was_ nice to run into each other," she adds. "Thanks for having me, Mrs. West. I always loved spending the holidays here." The brunette finishes shedding her winter wear. Richie take it from her and hangs it in the hall closet.

Wally scoops up the dish Jessica brought from the table by the door. He goes to put it in the kitchen. Jess has spotted her own parents and goes off to say hello. This leaves Artemis alone with her oldest child. She studies him closely, trying to figure out if there's more going on than what he's admitting to.

The oldest West son notices this right away. He gives his mother a smile. "Mom," he says, "I know that look. Nothing is going on. I swear."

Artemis decides she believes her first born. He's always been pretty honest. But the archer _does_ get the sense that something might be changing soon. "Would you get back together if Jess wanted to? You're almost done with college now," she points out.

"Mom, I don't want to talk about this," Richie says in a firm tone. He leans in and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "I know you're my mom and it's your job to ask questions. I understand that. But until something changes that I think you need to know about, my private life stays private."

That's a fair point, Artemis thinks. "Okay," she agrees. Then the archer smiles at her son and says, "Come have something to eat."

As the afternoon wears on, Artemis finds her attention being drawn to her son. She notices that each time her gaze falls on him, he's looking at Jessica. She also notices that Wally is keeping a close eye on Richie as well. The archer thinks her husband looks kind of impatient, as if he's waiting for their son to drop to one knee and propose to the Blue Lantern on the spot.

After dinner, Wally makes a big show of looking in the fridge for milk to serve with dessert. Artemis knows perfectly well that there's two gallons of milk in the second refrigerator they keep in the garage. But Wally, meddlesome father that he is, says, "Richie, we're out of milk. Would you mind going to the store and picking some up?"

The oldest West son looks a bit suspicious, but eventually he nods. "Great!" Wally enthuses. Then he makes another show of looking around before he spots Jessica. "Hey Jess, come here for a sec!" the Flash implores his guest.

Artemis groans inwardly. Her husband is oh so predictable. The Blue Lantern makes her way over to the scientist. A curious expression is on Jess's face. "Yes, Mr. West?"

Wally's still grinning when he answers her. "We're out of milk. Richie's going to the store to get some. I thought it might be nice if you went with him." The speedster takes out his wallet and pulls out some cash. He hands it over to Richie, who is now regarding his father even more suspiciously.

But Jess is smiling. "Sure, I'll go with Richie." She takes him by the hand and pulls him through the crowd of League members towards the hall closet. The archer sees Richie's fingers curl into Jessica's and is struck by how natural it seems.

The blonde woman then notices the proud expression adorned by Wally. She's instantly irritated. "Wally," Artemis says in a flat tone, "what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm helping," Wally declares. The redhead meets her skeptical gaze and adds, "He's our son, Artemis. Don't you want him to be happy?" Artemis nods and has a comment ready when Wally opens his mouth again. "I think you know as well as I do that he was never as happy with any of his other girlfriends as he was with Jess. They were always good together."

"They were teenagers," Artemis points out.

Wally looks thoughtful, but the archer can tell it's in a sarcastic way. "I'm sorry, but I seem to remember you telling me how we were teenagers when we got together last year when I found out about Abbey and Gio. They're still working, you and I are still working, so why isn't it the same for Richie and Jess?"

She _hates_ it when he gets like this. He's _always_ convinced he's right. It drives Artemis crazy. "I'm not saying it can't be that way again. I like Jess. I do. But do you remember what Richie told us when they broke up? He said he thought if it was meant to happen in the long term, it would." The archer jabs her finger into his chest. "So _stop_ trying to push things along, Wally."

He holds up his hands defensively. "I'm being a loving father," the speedster insists. "I'm helping."

"Seriously," Artemis tells him, "leave it alone."

Wally grins at her again. He pulls her into his arms. "I hear wedding bells," he informs the reporter. "Maybe by this time next year we'll have a daughter-in-law." He gives her a squeeze and then releases her. He walks away humming the traditional wedding march tune.

The archer shakes her head at her husband's antics. Then her stormy gray gaze falls on Richie, who is helping Jess into her coat. They are sharing what looks like a private smile. Richie looks as if he's laughing at something Jessica has said. It reminds Artemis of her oldest son's teenage days.

Artemis suddenly wonders if Wally is right after all. She sees Jess hook her arm through Richie's and decides that might not be such a bad thing.

She smiles.


	22. Chapter 22

.

**The Wests**

Richie West steps out of the old phone booth that houses a zeta tube. He blinks a few times as he gets his bearings. Super speed is one thing, but he's never quite gotten used to traveling by zeta. It always leaves him feeling a little dizzy.

As he gets his bearings, the blond boy muses that it's nice to be home. It definitely feels like the holidays, he thinks as he looks around at the falling snow. Of course, it snows in Blüdhaven, but it's just not the same. In Blüdhaven, the snow is more of a dirty, slushy substance that seeps into his shoes as he walks around campus.

But in Central City, the snow is different. It's thick and fluffy and reminds him of all the snow days he's had with his siblings over the years. Maybe he's biased on account of nostalgia, but the snow in Central City is far superior to snow in Blüdhaven.

"Richie!" a very familiar voice calls. He sucks in a deep breath. He remembers his mom calling and telling him that Jessica was planning on attending the West family Thanksgiving celebration. But he was definitely not prepared to be seeing her here and now. He's figured he'd see her at dinner, say hello, and spend the rest of the day with his brothers.

The blond speedster turns to his former flame. As soon as he does this, she launches herself at him. Jess hugs him tight. She's close enough that Richie can smell the cinnamon on her breath and the scent of her strawberry shampoo. It's just like when they were teenagers, Richie thinks. Another wave of nostalgia hits him hard.

"It's good to see you," the Blue Lantern enthuses. "It's been a long time. How have you been?" Jessica steps back from him and picks up a covered dish from the snow-covered ground, which he guesses is her contribution for the dinner. She's still beaming.

His mouth suddenly goes dry as he tries to find some words. He remembers getting nervous around her when they were first dating, but that was years ago. That had stopped as soon as they got comfortable around each other. But now it's like he's thirteen again and he's forgotten everything he knows about talking to girls.

"Good," Richie manages to choke out eventually. "I'm good. And you?"

"I'm good, too." Jess readjusts her coat and scarf and exhales. Her breath comes out in a puff. "It's cold," she says. "Do you mind if I walk home with you?"

Richie shakes his head. He adjusts his own winter wear and starts towards home. Jess falls into step beside him. For about half a block, the only sound is their footsteps crunching through the snow. Then Jessica pipes up again.

"Is this weird?" she asks. "It's been a long time since we've been alone like this."

"Maybe a little," Richie agrees. "But it doesn't have to be. We could, I don't know, talk."

Maybe it's his imagination, but the speedster swears Jessica smiles even wider than she had earlier. She tells him all about how she's on track to get her degree in business management and how she's going to take over Ferris Aircraft when she graduates.

In return, Richie tells her that he's doing well in school as well and all but has a job at Wayne Tech in the bag. He also informs her about Colin and the crazy schemes his roommate is always cooking up. Richie has bailed the other boy out of trouble more times than he can count. But Colin is a good friend, all in all. Jessica look amused at his anecdotes.

They're just turning onto his street when Jessica glances up at him and asks, "So…do you have a girlfriend?"

This was the part the blond boy has not been looking forward to. He's sure she's only asking because she wants to tell him all about whatever lucky guy she's dating. Why else would she want to bring up the subject?

"No, I don't have a girlfriend," Richie admits to the Blue Lantern. "Not right now," he adds hastily. He definitely doesn't want Jessica to think he's been pining away for her all through college, because he hasn't. Richie has had other girlfriends, but if he's being honest he knows he hasn't loved any of them the way he loves Jess. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

He thinks he sees the corner of her mouth turn up, but it's so fast that he's not sure. "I don't have a boyfriend," the brunette girl answers. Then Jess stops and places her free hand on his arm. Richie stops in his tracks. The look on Jess's face is one that he can only describe as worried. "I heard about Abbey," she tells him.

Richie's definitely confused about why she'd bring this up. "She's fine," he informs the Blue Lantern. "She's very proud of her scar, though, so she'll probably want to show it to you about twenty-five times."

Jessica looks up at him with those big chocolate brown eyes. She still looks worried. "It's just that I heard your sister was in the hospital and I didn't even _call_ you. I didn't know if you'd want to hear from me."

That's definitely the Jessica he remembers. Always wanting to do the right thing, the best thing. She thinks she's done something wrong. "It's okay," Richie tells her. "I saw you get inducted into the League on the news and _I _didn't call _you_."

"That's different," Jessica argues. "Your little sister almost died and I couldn't even call you."

"She's fine," Richie repeats. There's a pause. Then the speedster adds, "I would have liked hearing from you, though."

Jessica nods and removes her hand from his arm. They finish the walk to his house without speaking.

They arrive at his house. Through the window, Richie can see what looks like every member of the Justice League milling about. He steps onto the porch. Jessica steps up beside him. She looks a little nervous. Richie looks at her and grins. "Ready?" he asks.

"Oh, I'm not scared," she replies. "It's just your family and my family and our adoptive family. What's there to be nervous about?"

The blond speedster turns the doorknob and lets them into the West home. He warms up immediately. He spots Cal right away as the younger boy picks a path to the entryway where Richie and Jessica are standing. Richie also notices that the other speedster is tugging Olivia Queen in his wake. Richie grins at his brother.

"I see you're still dating the toddler," Richie teases. Cal retaliates with a playful punch on the arm, which only makes Richie grin wider. Then the oldest West son kisses Olivia's cheek. "I'm only kidding," he tells her. "You're too good for him."

Olivia smiles and Cal merely rolls his green eyes. "Is there something you want to tell me?" the middle son asks as he looks at Jessica. "Are you two back together?"

Richie has a feeling that this is not the last time he's going to have to explain about the Jess situation. "No, we aren't," he tells his brother.

Cal looks skeptical. "Well, I think I should go let Mom and Dad know you're here," Cal says. "It's nice to see you again, Jessica," he adds.

The middle speedster disappears and Richie just shakes his head at his bother. He opens the hall closet and shrugs off his jacket. Jess starts shedding her winter layers as well.

Then he hears his dad's voice say, "Look, honey, Richie and Jess are here. And they came together. Isn't that nice?"

Richie barely has time to wonder exactly what Cal has apparently told their parents before his mother materializes in front of him. The next thing he knows is that his mom is wrapping him in a tight hug that he returns. He explains that running into Jess was definitely unexpected and they aren't back together.

He watches Jessica hug his mom. She says, "It _was_ nice to run into each other. Thanks for having me, Mrs. West. I always loved spending the holidays here." Jessica finishes shrugging off her blue coat and hands it to him. Richie hangs it beside his own coat in the hall closet.

His dad sees the dish of macaroni and cheese Jess has prepared and takes it upon himself to deliver it to the kitchen. Jess says that she sees her parents and leaves Richie and his mom to go say hello. Immediately, the speedster feels his mother's piercing gray gaze lock on him. He feels like he's some kind of puzzle she's trying to figure out. Again, the oldest West son wonders what kind of picture his brother has painted for their parents. Richie regrets making the toddler comment to Cal. He makes a note not to tease Cal about that anymore.

"Mom," Richie begins in what he hopes is a firm tone, "I know that look. Nothing is going on. I swear." Richie crosses his fingers that for once in her life, his mom will let something go and just drop the subject.

She doesn't, of course. It's the reporter in her. "Would you get back together if Jess wanted to?" she asks. "You're almost done with college now."

To be honest, the speedster has no idea. He remembers perfectly well why he and Jess broke up in the first place. He thinks he's done a good job of having other life experiences. He's made new friends and had crappy jobs that he's hated and dated other girls. He's had a typical college experience. But he doesn't want to settle down with any of those other girls. He still loves Jess, and seeing her has cemented this in his mind. She understands him in a way no one else can.

But he certainly doesn't want to talk about this with anyone but her. And he definitely doesn't want to talk about it with his _mother_. A line has to be drawn. "Mom, I don't want to talk about this. I know you're my mom and it's your job to ask questions. I understand that. But until something changes that I think you need to know about, my private life stays private."

Richie hopes he's made himself clear to the point where his mom won't press him anymore. This is never an easy battle with her. Pressing for details is what makes her so good at her job. It seems to have sunken in this time, though. "Okay," she says with a smile. "Come have something to eat."

He finds himself looking for Jess as the afternoon goes on. Richie finds himself smiling as he sees her chatting with his sisters. Jessica looks politely interested in Abbey's scar, which she's happily showing off, just as Richie predicted she would. Later the Blue Lantern catches his eye as they sit down to eat. She smiles at him in what the speedster can only describe as a secretive way. The oldest West son finds himself wondering what this means.

The blond boy also notices that his parents are watching him very closely. His dad seems to mostly be wearing an impatient expression. Richie wonders if he's missed some sort of clue or signal. Maybe he's supposed to be proposing or something.

His mom, on the other hand, looks thoughtful. She's paying attention to him, but it's more observant than that she's waiting for something.

Richie knows something is up when his dad pretends they don't have any milk. He knows perfectly well that his mother would never go shopping for a major holiday without stocking up on all the basics. He knows there must be more in the second refrigerator. But the blond speedster knows his dad can be meddlesome, and that's exactly what he's doing now. "Richie, we're out of milk. Would you mind going to the store and picking some up?"

The too innocent tone of his father's voice sets off every alarm bell in Richie's head. But the speedster knows deep down that his dad may be annoying, but he's doing it because he cares and wants to help in his own crazy way.

His dad exclaims, "Great!" Then the older speedster makes a great show of looking through the crowd of League guests until he spots Jessica. "Hey Jess, come here for a sec!" the Flash implores.

The Blue Lantern looks curious as she comes into the kitchen. "Yes, Mr. West?" Richie feels the corner of his mouth turn up. He's always loved how polite and respectful Jessica is towards his parents.

His dad explains how they're supposedly out of milk and asks Jessica if she'd mind going to the store with him. It's a lame set up if there ever was one and Richie can tell by looking at her that Jess can see through it right away.

But she smiles. "Sure, I'll go with Richie." Jess takes him by the hand. Without really meaning to, the blond boy twines his fingers through hers. The brunette leads him back towards the entryway where the hall closet is.

She's busily pulling out their coats and scarves. Richie studies her as she foes this. He wonders why she agreed to this so quickly. The oldest West son adopts what he hopes is a thoughtful expression. "Jess," he begins, "you don't have to come, you know. My dad is crazy. And very, very obvious."

"He's sweet," the Blue Lantern replies. "He means well." Jessica winds her fuzzy blue scarf around her neck and gestures to the door. "Shall we?"

It's still snowing as they make their way outside. It's not bad enough for them to be snowed in, though. Richie fishes the keys to his dad's car out of his jacket pocket and clicks the button to unlock the doors.

The ride to the store is quiet. He glances over at her. She looks deep in thought. Richie wonders if she's looking back on holidays they've spent together in the past. He has to admit that it's nice to be spending another holiday with her.

He smiles to himself as he realizes that if his dad gets his way, it won't be the last Thanksgiving they have together.

The store is practically deserted, which Richie is glad for. They're in and out with the milk in less than ten minutes. Jess surprises him when she takes his hand again on the way to the car. It's nice and all, but Richie has no idea what it means.

They drive home in silence. The blond speedster is still questioning what all the handholding and smiling is about. He pulls the car into the driveway, but neither of them gets out. Richie turns to look at her with his bright green gaze. He wonders if his dad sending them on this errand is some kind of plot that everyone but him is in on.

"Jessica," he says quietly, "why do you keep holding my hand?"

"It's cold outside, and you're always so warm," she replies. It's a lame answer. Richie looks at her pointedly until she talks again. "I don't really know. It's just that I knew I'd be seeing you today, but I didn't know it would be like this. I haven't seen or talked to you in years, but as soon as I saw you again it was like we were never apart. I realized I missed you. And that's why I hugged you and agreed to go on this unnecessary errand with you and held your hand."

She stops talking and just looks at him. She looks so pretty with tiny snowflakes still stuck in her hair and those chocolate brown eyes that meet his gaze head on and her perfectly pink lips…her perfectly kissable pink lips…

So he kisses her.

And it's just like he remembers. Jess kisses him back, soft and slowly at first. Then her arms hook around his neck and pull him in closer. Her fingers knot in his hair.

He pulls back when he runs out of air. Richie rests his forehead against Jess's, still breathing heavily. "I missed you, too," he breathes.

"I know you did," Jess says with a smile. Then she pulls out her phone and checks the time. "They'll be wondering where we are." She gives him another quick kiss and then says, "We can pick this up again later."

She gets out of the car and heads up to the door. Richie smiles to himself. "Oh, don't worry. We will."


	23. Chapter 23

.

**The Wests**

Wally West hurries down the maternity ward corridor at Coast City General. It sure seems that there's never a dull moment in his life. It's now a few hours into a new year and he's also now a grandfather.

He's decided to step down as the Flash. He's handed over the Flash mantle and the responsibility of protecting Central City to Abbey. Right before the press conference he'd called to announce the change, Richie called and left a voice mail on his cell phone to announce that Jessica had had the baby.

Wally rushed though the rest of the conference and left Abbey to answer the reporters' questions. She's promised to come to the hospital as soon as she's done assuring the citizens of Central City that she'll take good care of them.

Finally, Wally spots the nursery. Richie is standing just outside of it. The speedster can tell by the enraptured expression on his son's face that the new West baby must be inside. He comes to stand next to his oldest son.

"It changes everything, doesn't it?"

Richie looks at him with green eyes identical to his own. "I've only been a father for a few hours and I have no idea how you managed to hold it together with _five_. I don't think there's anything I wouldn't do for her."

The redhead merely smiles. Then he turns his attention to the babies lying asleep in the nursery. Right in the middle of the row closest to the window is a beautiful baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket. Peeking out from a matching knit cap is a tuft of Jess's dark hair. Wally studies the name card decorated with teddy bears. The last he'd heard, a name hadn't been decided on. Now he sees that his granddaughter has indeed been named.

"Adeline. That's pretty," Wally remarks.

"Jess picked it." Richie grins and adds, "I thought that twelve hours of labor was enough to let her pick whatever name she wanted."

"Always a good decision," the former Flash replies. "And Jess is doing well?"

Richie's still smiling. "She is. She's _perfect_. The baby's _perfect_. This is everything I want, Dad. I have it good."

Wally doesn't have anything to say in response. So he merely places a hand on his son's shoulder and looks back at little Adeline. Her eyes move beneath closed lids, like she's having an amazing dream.

The West males are joined by Richie's in-laws, Hal and Carol Jordan. They both look at the baby for a moment, clearly just as enchanted by her as everyone else. Wally has a feeling that little Addie won't be hearing the word "no" a whole lot in her life.

Then Carol gives Richie a hug. Hal shakes Wally's hand. "Stepping down, I hear," the Green Lantern says. "I'll keep an eye on Abbey for you when I can," he promises. "Tell her congratulations from us."

"You can tell me yourself, Uncle Hal!" Abbey's voice calls in a chipper tone. The members of the group turn to see Abbey and Gio heading down the hallway towards where they're all gathered. Abbey is carrying an enormous blue teddy bear. Richie groans at the sight of it.

Abbey sets the stuffed animal down and reaches for her older brother. The two speedsters exchange a big hug. Then the redhead pulls back and takes a peek into the nursery. She smiles as she catches sight of her new niece and breathes, "She's beautiful, Richie. Congratulations."

Gio joins his girlfriend. His arm winds around her waist and Abbey leans against him. The new Flash looks up at him, and Wally can tell the younger couple is no doubt thinking of their futures together. The idea of his youngest daughter becoming a mother makes him profoundly uncomfortable.

The Jordans coo over Adeline for another minute and then announce that they're heading home. Richie assures his in-laws that he'll see them later. As soon as they're gone, he takes a good long look at the teddy bear. "Abbey," the oldest West son begins, "why did you buy that?"

She looks confused. "I have a new baby niece. You're supposed to buy your new baby niece presents."

"I appreciate that," Richie replies. "But I think the beautiful mural you painted in the nursery was present enough."

Wally can see what his son is trying to do. He laughs. Richie shoots him a death glare. This only makes the senior speedster laugh harder.

Abbey appears to be catching on as well. "Well, the _baby_ won't appreciate that," she points out. "I think she'll like the bear a lot more once she's old enough to climb on it and use it as a pillow."

The bond man sighs and throws up his hands. "I give up. But when you have kids, I am going to get them obnoxious presents. Presents that are noisy and light up and may possibly be possessed by demonic spirits."

But Abbey only grins. "Bring it on!" Richie rolls his eyes. He turns on his heel and heads down the corridor. Wally guesses that he's going to check on Jessica. Abbey seems to have come to the same conclusion as well. She hoists the enormous toy into her arms and follows her brother's path. "I bet Jess will _love_ the present," she taunts.

Gio catches Wally's eye. The magician merely shrugs at the siblings' dynamic. "Hey, I _raised_ them and I certainly don't get it," the retired Flash tells the dark haired boy. Gio grins and looks just like his father. Wally's not in the habit of checking out his daughters' boyfriends or anything, but at the moment he can see the attraction there. Then the younger man trails after Abbey and Richie.

This of course leaves Wally alone in the hallway. He looks back at his sleeping granddaughter. "Hey, little girl," he whispers. "I'm your Grandpa Wally. And I'm so glad you're finally here. I just know you're going to do so many incredible things. It doesn't matter if you're a speedster, or if you end up in one of the Lantern Corps, or if you're just you. But I know whatever you do will be _amazing_. I promise to be here for as much of it as I can."

A warm arm slides around his torso. Wally's emerald gaze locks on Artemis's blonde hair. She looks up at him with a smile. "Are you babbling to her already?"

He adopts an expression of fake outrage. "I am _not_ babbling, Artemis." The retired hero presses a kiss to the top of her head. "I can't believe that our baby's a parent now. We're _old_."

"Not this again," Artemis teases. Then she turns to the baby. "I don't remember ours being so _small_," she says quietly. There's a pause before Artemis says, "She's so pretty."

Wally grins. "Of course she is. Part of her comes from us. Adeline is going to be quite the heartbreaker."

"You are a walking cliché," the reporter states flatly. But she's still smiling and he knows she doesn't really mind.

It occurs to Wally that he doesn't know where any of their other children are. Adeline is the first West baby of the next generation. He's expected to see the rest of the brood out in full force to celebrate the new arrival. "So where are our other offspring and their various significant others?" the redhead asks his wife.

"Tori's still with Amistad visiting Kaldur and Raquel. I think they'll all be here later today. CJ and Marie were here for awhile, but I don't know where they got off to. And Cal says he'll be here later with coffee and breakfast. He says he has good news and wants to tell everyone at once."

A grin stretches across Wally's face. "He proposed."

"I think so," Artemis agrees. "New Year's Eve seems like the kind of occasion Cal would choose to pop the question. And at least we don't have to worry about any negative consequences that might have."

"Hear that, Addie? You may be having a cousin soon." This comment earns Wally a swift elbow in the ribs.

"We did alright, didn't we, Wally?" Artemis asks. His wife's stormy gray gaze has locked onto their sleeping granddaughter once more. She looks thoughtful. "We got them all through to adulthood. None of them are in jail and they're all college educated, or at least enrolled in college. So, all in all, we weren't total disasters as parents."

To Wally, it seems more like she's talking to herself than she is to him. But he nods and adds in a cheerful tone, "And now we've come full circle." Artemis makes a noise of agreement. It gives Wally the courage to bring up an idea he's been toying with for awhile. "Do you want to renew our vows?" The speedster thinks she'll reject the idea. She was hardly interested in planning their wedding the first time. Megan had taken care of most of the details.

But Artemis surprises him. It's kind of amazing that she can still do that after twenty-five years of marriage.

She says, "Yes."


End file.
